


The Change He Brings

by namisnakama



Category: Naruto
Genre: Akatsuki - Freeform, BAMF Uzumaki Naruto, BUT ONLY TEMPORARILY, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fix-It, I love Itachi my baby, M/M, Mature Naruto, Naruto loses himself, Root is Alive, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Swearing, Torture, Unreliable Narrator, danzo is a bastard, everyone has a hidden agenda, he and Itachi help each other, naruto joins root
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-05-20 13:42:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 30,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14895663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/namisnakama/pseuds/namisnakama
Summary: This is a tale of growth and failure. Of hardships and friendship. Of betrayal and trust.Will the darkness swallow Naruto or can he make it out stronger than ever?----"I see you are not entirely happy with this arrangement.", Danzo began, only kindness in his voice. "I know you want to go outside and be part of the village. But at Root, we are the shadow. We protect Konoha from threats that could otherwise destroy all those we hold dear. For the village, we give it our all. I was told you were a loyal shinobi, willing to give anything for the village and your comrades."Naruto felt flattered and blushed. "I will do anything to protect my precious people.""Then you are on your way to becoming the perfect Root shinobi. To save others, we take care of the darkness. We are but tools to protect the innocence of the village." What he said sounded reasonable. Yet Naruto didn't like the 'tool' part. That reminded him too much of Haku and Zabuza. "I will not be a tool, but a loyal ninja nonetheless, sir."





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey Everyone!
> 
> Thanks for giving my first (published) fanfiction a chance.  
> This is cross-posted at fanfiction , but this version here will be a little more explicit.
> 
> This story is for those who were unsatisfied with the Naruto ending. Many injustices were left unaddressed, and I'm still sore about the tragedy of Itachi's life. Sooooo- here is my attempt on fixing that. To change Naruto into the Hokage he can be, and the trials that he will face along the way. Curtain up!

Prologue  
Broken Ties

 

Naruto heaved heavily. The fight wasn't going too well for him. He just couldn't get an advantage and Sasuke sure wasn't pulling his punches. Naruto was desperate. How could he make the other boy understand?

"You will return with me to the village and that's final! And if it kills me I will make you!"

Sasuke sneered at him. "You just don't understand. And that is because you're too weak to see the reality. I have an ambition and you know I've always had it. I must kill my brother and avenge my clan. That is my purpose in life: to become strong and defeat him."

"But Sasuke, you can become strong at the village. We can train together like we always have. Kakashi-sensei can teach you more jutsu-"

"Kakashi is weak", he interrupted harshly. "At the invasion, no one was able to defeat Orochimaru and so I know I need him to gain such power. I can feel it in my skin, the hidden power. You cannot stop me, you fool!"

And then Sasuke charged. Chidori was already blazing in his hand, the electricity crackling underneath his fingers. Naruto, still exhausted from their battle earlier, hurried to make a clone and form the Rasengan in his palm. Too late. It wasn't strong enough.

Naruto coughed up blood and sank to his knees as Sasuke pulled his arm out of Naruto chest. Red was dripping from it. So much red. For a moment, Sasuke seemed surprised to see it there, then his expression hardened once again.

"How unsatisfactory. And this is what you threw your dreams away from? I hope it was worth it. This is goodbye, you fool. Maybe in another life, it could have been different."

He turned to leave when a hand twisted around his ankle and demanded he'd stay.

"Of course it was worth it, you fucking bastard! And to think that I fell in love with you…"

"What was that?!" Sasuke sounded angry, well angrier than before.

All was quiet when he finally spoke again. "I said I'm in love with you, Sasuke."

"What the fuck, dobe?! Out of all the attacks you've thrown at me, this one is the one least likely to work. I will not return to the village.", Sasuke laughed cruelly.

"It's not a trick, I", he coughed up some more of the red liquid that was leaving his body rapidly. His voice was quiet, almost breaking. "I guess it doesn't hurt to tell you now. It's the truth, simple as that."

"It doesn't matter to me."

"Not to you, bastard. But to me. I would have given anything for you, you know."

The raven's expression was unreadable. "And now?"

"I stand by it. I hope you will find happiness one day Sasuke." Sasuke swallowed as Naruto whispered the last words. "I believe in you. There is more to you than just revenge."

Words spoken, Naruto passed out and left the other deep in thought. "But should I really do it? Is the Mangekyou worth it?", Sasuke asked softly, torn apart. Had Naruto's eyes been open, he would have observed a greedy gleam battling with self-loathing and guilt over dominance on the other's face. But his eyes remained shut. And so he was blissfully unaware how only the sudden arrival of Shikamaru and Neji at the valley of the end interrupted the Uchiha's inner struggle and chased him away. Ultimately not saving only him, but the youngest Uchiha, as well .

Once they had been best friends, brothers even, now they were separated by a road of hardships. They would not meet again for a long time to come.


	2. The Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto gets a little too emotional for the village's liking...

Chapter 1:

The Decision

Tsunade sighed heavily and looked at the still form in the hospital bed. How had it come to this? Naruto was still unconscious as he had been for two weeks, even after her own exclusive treatment. Physically he was in good, stable health again. That was a great improvement. When she had seen him getting carried in by Neji and Shikamaru, he had looked as pale as death himself. The blood loss was almost too great, had it not been for the Kyuubi, Naruto would not have survived. He had come so close to dying. Like Nawaki and like had placed too much faith in Naruto; since he had convinced her to come back to the village three months ago. She had been swayed by her feelings, she had wanted to believe again, believe in the good of shinobi. That bonds were unbreakable. But the truth was: Naruto was just a small, vulnerable teen. He didn't have the skills or knowledge to back up his words. So the burden rested on her shoulders.

She turned her head as she heard a shy knock on the door. Her new apprentice, Sakura entered.

After the defection of the Uchiha two weeks ago, Sakura had approached her for an apprenticeship. In the beginning, she hadn't even spared the pink haired girl a glance. But then Sakura showed such strong determination to become a great kunoichi. "I never want to be this weak again! This helpless! I will not let Naruto carry the burden alone!" Sakura had yelled out and then gotten on her knees to beg. Despite herself, the Sannin had agreed. Sakura reminded her so much of her younger self, it almost hurt and she found herself wanting to help the desperate girl. Besides, it wouldn't hurt in any case. After all, another skilled medic would benefit Konoha greatly.

"Tsunade-sama", she greeted softly and stepped inside the hospital room. "How is he?"

"Come, I will teach you how to check the vital signs." She took Sakura's hand in hers and let her healing chakra flow through it. Then she formed hand seals with her free hand in quick succession and a green chakra bubble enveloped the sleeping boy. A ghostly, see-through replica of Naruto formed above him and certain areas such as his heart blinked red.

"This means that his pulse is a bit weak. But you always need to keep in mind what drugs a patient is given because that can greatly influence the results." Sakura nodded and tried to keep the information in her mind.

"Physically he is in good health again", Tsunade summarised after they had checked all his vital organs. Then she looked sadly into Sakura's eyes. "However, mentally…"

 

Sakura swallowed. The day before, she had just finished a textbook on the devastating effects of mental trauma, so she knew this was serious. If Naruto couldn't overcome the pain he was feeling, he might never wake up. If he didn't want to face reality, he'd just remain in this state… And in the end, she would have to live with it. Left by both her teammates. Her childish crush on Sasuke had driven her to alienate Naruto from the team. To see him as someone annoying and unwelcome. Someone, who stood between her and Sasuke. She knew of Naruto's feelings for their raven-haired teammate. 'Ex-Teammate now', she reminded herself.

When Tsunade left the room to tend to her next patient, Sakura fell into the chair next to the blond and gently took his hands in hers. All strength had left her, overcome with sadness she cried silently.

She didn't know what to do, how to reach him, but she just had to get this guilt off her chest. "Please forgive me Naruto. I am so sorry", her voiced hitched. "Return to me Naruto! I need you, please." After sitting there with joined hands for a while, her tears had ebbed away and she found her strength return slowly.

One last time she squeezed his hand and then she got up to return to her duties as medic-nin apprentice.

 

xXx

 

A sudden flare of malicious chakra on the top floor of the left hospital wing was all the warning that Tsunade got. Then she felt an explosion shake the building. "Shit!", it was highly unusual for the Slug Sannin to swear none of the panicking villagers noticed her curse. Everywhere people were rushing to get out of the building and to help evacuate the patients who weren't fit to do so on their own. As fast as she possibly could, she rushed towards his room, but the fleeing people hindered her speed. When she arrived after what seemed like an eternity, she was frozen in shock. The Kyuubi's chakra tainted the air. One tail had already formed as Naruto crouched down on the floor. Cries of pain escaped him that didn't at all sound human and he struggled as yet another tail formed. Two Anbu charged, their goal likely to render him unconscious, but before they even got within two metres reach, another tail had thrown them into the wall. Tsunade snapped back from her dazed state and noticed another two Anbu lying on the ground, unconscious and with their skin burnt. "Naruto!", she yelled. "You need to calm yourself!"

No response. She charged, but he dodged effortlessly. His eyes were unfocused, not there at all. "Sasuke!", he cried out, voice hoarse.

Finally she managed a kick to his stomach. A normal ninja would not get up from that one, but the Kyuubi seemed hardly fazed. After a moment of stumbling he regained his balance and charged at her. Instead of meeting her Taijutsu with kicks and punches, the malicious chakra reached out and surrounded her from all sides.

Suddenly, it became hard for her to breath. Her heart stopped for a moment, before it beat faster than ever before. Cold sweat ran down her body. Never had she felt this terrified. She would die. Completely at the enemy's mercy. "Naruto! Snap out of it!", she tried to negate the chakra by releasing the chakra she had stored in her diamond around her to form a bubble. But that was just a short term solution. Already she was nearing the end of her reserves. What could she do? The village was defenseless against a threat such as this! 'Destroyed from their own ally', she laughed bitterly. She couldn't let that happen. Absolutely not. She would not leave the villagers alone with this threat! Maybe if she used a self-sacrifice jutsu, she could erect a barrier. Trap the Kyuubi in a confined space until this wore down and leave it to Jiraya to reseal the demon properly. Yes, that was the only option. Tsunade formed the hand seals, determined to go through with this plan, when eight dark forms arrived in front of her. 'Anbu', she sighed. "Get away! Don't lay down your lives needlessly!"

"We have it under control Lady Tsunade", one with a cat mask assured her.

Fast, they formed an octagon around the Kyuubi, who sprout five tails as of right now. In perfect sync, the Anbu formed a flurry of hand seals and a seal array formed in the air, made of pure chakra.

Cat then stepped forward suddenly huge wooden beams sprout from his hands that targeted and bonded the writhing demon host. A blue tinted barrier appeared along the eight shinobi and contained the red chakra. Tsunade's eyes widened. 'A wood user!' The first one after her grandfather Hashirama to be able to use this special jutsu! How come she didn't know of him? She also noted that they had addressed her with 'Lady Tsunade', not Hokage-sama. She concluded that they were not part of her Anbu. Admittedly, after only three months as Hokage she still didn't know all of her troops, but it was suspicious. Who were those ninja who had just saved her life? And the whole of Konoha from destruction?

 

xXx

 

Three people waited in Tsunade's office when she finally returned that evening. Silently, she swore. It seemed her time had run out. The council would not grant her more time and a decision had to be made. Sat in front of them, she did her best to remain calm and controlled. 'Do not show them you're nervous.'

Danzo didn't waste any time. "I heard you took an apprentice."

"Indeed."

"So Team seven is disbanded for the time being."

"Yes, but Naruto can still serve as a ninja for the village. He is a loyal shinobi."

"I agree completely... Oh don't look so surprised, Tsunade. As Jinchuuriki he could be an invaluable asset. One, the previous Hokage neglected to see."

Tsunade smiled. "I will have him trained. In fact, I already arranged for Jiraya to take him."

"Of course, Jiraya would be my first choice, as well", Danzo said sweetly, which made hers skin crawl. "Unfortunately, the Akatsuki are on the hunt and targeting every single Jinchuuriki there is. Can you guarantee that your old teammate is able to protect a Genin from several S class missing nin?", without waiting for her response he continued. "I don't think so either."

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

"Well, after the incident in the hospital, it is obvious he poses a threat if left alone. The villagers fear him and with reason."

"But that was also when he was going through severe mental stress with Sasuke Uchiha leaving. It's not likely to happen again, soon."

"Oh Tsunade, you know as well as I do, how demanding and dangerous missions can be. There is no guarantee they will go smoothly, ever. To let someone with such volatile temper take part in them is a grave danger to everyone involved. Especially, when he can't tell friend from foe."

"You still haven't told me your idea, Danzo. Which means that I'm not going to like it. And I'm betting it has something to do with the unidentified Anbu that appeared in the hospital."

"Brilliant deduction, dear Tsunade. Though I think you will be pleased to hear this. There is another organisation hidden below the city. It is invaluable to the leaf, as it takes on dangerous, secret missions that are too tough for an Anbu or normal shinobi squad."

"And how is it that as Hokage, I don't know about it? What are they called?"

"The way you were instated was under hectic circumstances. Hiruzen's timely demise due to your teammate left many things unexplained."

"I have been in charge for three months now!"

"I didn't think it all that important."

"Not important? Are kidding me Danzo? Stop this charade at once! I do not like having an entire Anbu level organisation hidden from me that I have no control over!"

"I assure you, they are loyal."

"To you? Me? The village?"

Danzo smiled. "Don't you see? They're all the same. After all, I only want what is best for the village."

Tsunade was about to let lose a flurry of curses, when the elder Koharu spoke for the first time. "Lady Tsunade, I can assure you that Root has been important for the continued prosperity of the village. The missions they carry out deal with difficult political climates. Situation, where being identified as leaf ninja would be fatal."

The Hokage nodded, despite being pissed. She could see the obvious benefits from it. "So they're called Root then. Tell me, what does Root want with Naruto?"

"To train him, of course. With a little supervision, he could become a true if hidden protector of Konoha, an unknown threat to our enemies."

"So you don't want his identity known?"

"From the shadows he can be more effective. At least until the villagers have calmed down and forgiven him. He would have a home among my ninja, one without judgement, where he can prosper and train to his best potential."

Tsunade had to be honest, the plan didn't sound bad at all. Danzo's arguments seemed logical, but that didn't mean she trusted him. He wasn't innocent and neither was she. "How do you plan on training him?"

"I don't want to bore you with details. But emotional control first and foremost and then we can build up his shinobi skill set. From what I've heard, he is a chakra powerhouse; it is a shame he has such limited amount of jutsu at his disposal. I would rectify that. During his training, he would have to stay at HQ most of the time, to ensure that there are no distractions. I recommend cutting his contact to his classmates and teachers for the time being."

"Why is that? For Anbu it is common to continue life as before while also operating on Anbu missions at the same time."

"Very true. But can you see him guarding this secret from his friends? Can you see him not being distracted from his new training if he stays in his old environment? In training, distractions are most unwelcome. And the Jinchuuriki is in dire need of training. Wouldn't you agree?" He nodded at the other two council members who then nodded vigorously.

"Indeed, indeed."

In the end, it was decided that Naruto would stay for at least three years at the Root base, not to stay in contact with any old associations. Tsunade wasn't all that happy about it, but after the hospital accident, she had to concede the point that Naruto was dangerous. Just as much as she didn't trust Danzo not to cross her, she needed someone to report to her from the inside. That someone at her disposal was loyal and righteous, it seemed like the best outcome, for now.

"I want reports from every single mission Root has carried out up to this point. And furthermore, I want to be informed of every mission Root goes on in the future. I want to know how many ninja you employ. If you can agree to that, I will grate Root an official status in the village."

"It will be as you wish, Hokage-sama." Danzo smiled triumphantly as he left the office. When Naruto woke up, she'd have to break the news to him. Hopefully, he'd understand.

 

The next day, Tsunade sat in front of the mission reports that another nameless Root member had delivered yesterday afternoon. Dangerous missions indeed. Morally grey. But they did seem to support Konoha as a stronghold in the shinobi world. These were tough missions. The Abu ninja were not to be taken lightly, that was sure. They also needed a cool head for all those. No, emotionless was a better word to describe it. Killing machines. What fate had she condemned Naruto to?

 

xXx

 

Deep underneath the Hokage monument, Danzo was standing in front of his desk, laughing. Everything was slowly coming together, just as planned. He had the Jinchuuriki in his grasp! Hiruzen had shielded the boy from him when he should have grown up as the perfect tool. Well, it wasn't too late to rectify that. The conditioning and following initiation at Root would see to that. And then, Konoha would gain the power to dominate the other hidden villages. The Kyuubi was the strongest demon, after all. Konoha would be feared again! No one would dare to cross him. And when the time was ripe, he'd take the Hokage seat for himself. More than that, the village would demand for him to take it! A strong leader, he would be the perfect choice.

And the best thing yet, the deluded Jinchuuriki wanted to bring that traitorous Uchiha back to the village! Right under his influence! He didn't even have to convince the boy, in fact he'd most likely do anything for his avenger teammate. Soon he'd have two utterly strong shinobi under his thumb. And if the Uchiha didn't want to become his, he could always just take away the eyes and problem solved. Yes, this was a day to be celebrated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thank you for the positive response for the prologue. I will update more frequently from now on, every 3-5 days is the goal. :)
> 
> Next: Turns out, rampaging as Kyuubi wasn't one of Naruto's smarter moves...


	3. Win-win situation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you go :* Fast update

Chapter 2

Win-win situation

When Naruto woke up, he felt much better. His body was light, the mattress was soft and the blanket and pillow warm. His memories took all of ten seconds, before forcefully slamming back into his mind. Damn. He was screwed. How could he have let this happen? First, he wasn't able to bring Sasuke back and then he had attacked Tsunade-baachan! And hurt those who had tried to stop him! Naruto felt like crying. He had messed up miserably.

Suddenly, the walls felt too narrow and he seemingly closed in on him. Desperately he jumped out of the window. Being on the fifth floor he landed ungracefully on his behind. He gasped for air. 'Just breathe in, breathe out. Calm down.' He sat on the ground in front of the hospital. Repeating these words n his head until he relaxed a bit, trying to blend out everything else.

When he eventually opened his eyes, he jumped a bit. He was surrounded by angry villagers. There was a whole horde of them, shouting and spitting and angrily hissing at him. For a moment, he was confused and disoriented, then his hearing returned to him with a vengeance: "Get away you monster!" "We don't want to you here, demon!" "How dare he deceive us like this!" "He attacked our last Uchiha and the Hokage! I say we do away with him!" The last comment got a round of applause.

Naruto couldn't understand this. He knew the villagers distrusted him, but they had never been this vocal about it. Usually, they just ignored him.

He jumped on his feet and took a step in the direction of his home when the mob suddenly backed away. Naruto narrowed his eyes. There was this strange expression in their eyes, which he had trouble reading. Then it hit him. Fear. They were afraid of him!

"Whoa, guys! I didn't want to attack Tsunade-baachan! You have to believe me!" He could stand them ignoring him, but he wouldn't have this! He wasn't evil!

"GET AWAY FROM US DEMON! WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" A hysterical old woman screamed hat right into his face.

"But I don't-", nobody listened to him. They would not hear his side of the story.

Tears streamed down his face and he jumped high above their heads and onto rooftops of the houses nearby. Were they right? Was he a demon? Up until he attack I'm the hospital he felt that that was ridiculous but the fact that he could remember everything made him doubt himself. He remembered the rage, the need to destroy, the rush of power through his veins. Yes, he had been powerful, he had almost defeated the Hokage, had he not? But then again, Obaa-chan had tried not to hurt him, so she didn't fight him full force. What would Sasuke say to that? There was a frightening power inside him and he had absolutely no control over it. Was that desirable? No, it wasn't. At all.

He didn't want to be a monster. He didn't want to hurt anyone. 'Well, except enemy ninjas.' Or did he? 'What about Haku?' It still hurt thinking about the young ninja's demise.

Naruto arrived at his favorite spot on top of the Hokage monument. Here, everything seemed peaceful.

He was still sitting in the same spot a few hours later when a large hand ruffled his hair.

"Hey!", he shouted angrily. "Oh, it's just you, Pervy-Sage."

"No respect for your favorite Sannin, eh kid."

Naruto didn't respond, as he was already back to his dark thoughts. For a while the two just sat quietly together, watching the everyday business in the village from afar.

Finally, Jiraiya cleared his throat.

"So Naruto, remember when I told you I wanted to take you for an apprentice?"

"Yeah, of course, I remember, Pervy-Sage!", his face lit up just a tiny bit. Maybe he could escape the hateful atmosphere in the village together with Jiraya!

"Well right now is not really a good time for that."

Naruto felt like someone had punched him. Jiraiya didn't want him either. Him and his demonic companion. "I see..."

"Yeah well, a situation has come up that will kinda take up all my attention. So you can be my honorary apprentice." The old man awkwardly scratched his beard.

"Kid, don't be like that. I really wanted to take you, honest. But orders are orders."

"Oh man that's just not fair", he pouted. "You get to go around and just be lazy and I will have to stay here working missions…" In truth, Naruto had no idea what was coming now. He had run off from the hospital and then while clearing his head, the villagers… They looked so incredibly scared, he felt nauseous.

"Hey Jiraiya, do you think I'm a threat?" The older man looked up, probably surprised at being addressed with his actual name for once.

"You know I worked really hard to get everyone to accept me and now it's in ruins. Maybe I should just you know… back off?"

"Naruto, I know that you're a good kid and that you always do your best. And that's all you can do for now. Don't lose faith over something like this. Your parents wouldn't want this for you."

"My parents?", Naruto's eyes shot up in alarm and he searched for answers in the old man's gaze. "Does that mean you knew them?"

"No, of course not! I just meant parents, in general, want the best for their kids and you know what they say about a mother's love and all that." Jiraiya blinked owlishly and shook his head.

That did not convince Naruto at all. "There is something you're not telling me. And I want to know! I deserve to know!"

"Leave it Naruto. That topic isn't something you should focus on now." His voice sounded harsh and tone final.

"But Pervy-Sage! Pleaseeee."

"I already said too much. I need to head off soon. Better go pack."

"Hey! WAIT!", Naruto was annoyed. Why didn't the other just give him some damn answers now?

The Sannin turned around. "And Naruto, go see Tsunade. You need to face her instead of running away. That cowardly behaviour is not like you at all."

He was gone the next moment and Naruto slumped his shoulders. Now it was time to face his fears. But maybe he could stay here, on top of the mountain, just a little bit longer and pretend that everything was alright.

Naruto knocked softly. For once not just barging into the office. That just wouldn't be right.

"Hokage-sama", he bowed and didn't dare look in her eyes.

"Hello, Naruto. I hope you are feeling better?"

"Yeah, I'm alright", Naruto quickly assured, but he didn't smile. Couldn't smile.

"I summoned you because a decision has been made about your future."

Naruto clenched his fists. What would they do with him? He deserved to be made taking D-ranks for the rest of his life. Or maybe they'd take away his forehead protector. That's what he feared the most.

"The council has decided to place you with the Root Anbu."

Naruto pondered this, an eyebrow raised. "What's that, like a place for failed Anbu?" Because surely they wouldn't put a failure like him into a real Anbu squad. That was reserved for the best shinobi after all.

"It's an entirely different organization. They operate under a different head than normal Anbu that you're familiar with."

"Eh. So they don't listen to the Hokage?"

"No, that's not it. They do", she said a little bit too quickly. "They take special missions, more dangerous ones. They ensure that Konoha stays safe." For some reason those words sounded rehearsed, but Naruto let the thought go for another.

He could continue as a real shinobi! He could get stronger! Strong enough to get Sasuke back to the village! Then he snapped out of this happy place and asked wearily. "What's the catch? Where's my punishment for what I've done?"

"There will be no punishment, Naruto. What happened wasn't your fault." She looked at him with affection and then continued before he could argue. "You will learn control at Root and up your skills. For the time being, you are to stay within the village walls. Until you definitely pose no threat to others, Root will teach you. Also, you will not see your friends during your entire time as Root Anbu."

Naruto was shocked at those orders! How could she take away the one thing that was important to him? His comrades! And he was not allowed to leave the village! Then how could he get Sasuke back?

"How long would I be part of Root and how long do I have to stay in the village, Hokage-sama?", he sounded a bit more cold than intended.

Tsunade looked a bit sad at that but smiled kindly. "It is not forever, Naruto. I cannot determine how long it will take, but at least until the situation with the Akatsuki is a bit more secure and until we can estimate the situation inside the village better." Naruto nodded, despite not liking it. He didn't have a choice. The way Tsunade sounded, he'd stay under Danzo for a few months. Maybe until the next chunin exams. He would get the Teme back when he had trained a bit and then the bastard would realize his mistakes.

"Naruto", Tsunade squeezed his shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't give up hope. You will become stronger and the villagers will calm down eventually. When you're not around, they will soon lose interest in those rumors."

Oh yeah, the villagers. He had almost succeeded at forgetting about those. The reason he was in this nasty situation: He needed to control the Kyuubi or he'd never succeed at anything. Finding Sasuke, becoming Hokage, all that seemed impossible now. Naruto tried to smile back, but his face remained stony. Not possible with the inner turmoil going on. "Yeah maybe", he finally said. 'But they aren't rumors', he thought and didn't say. 'They are facts. I'm dangerous while the Kyuubi isn't under my control. No wonder they despise me.'

"I still believe in you, Naruto. I don't want you to go and be exposed to Danzo. But as Hokage my hands are tied. This is the situation and we have to make the best of it. That is also part of being Hokage. You have to make decisions that are tough and no matter what you do, you lose."

"You will not lose me, Obaa-chan! I swear the training is gonna be easy and then I'll drag Sasuke's ass here in no time. Better believe it!"

"I'm glad you haven't lost your will of fire…"

The Hokage sighed. "There is another reason I need you to go. It's not just about you learning control. I will be honest. I don't trust Danzo."

He frowned at that. He had learned about that man in the Academy. Danzo had been one of Jiji's closest friends and his advisor, too.

"It's just that I need someone to watch out for what is going on in Root. If there is something suspicious I need you to investigate it. And then report it to no one but me, do you understand? This is an S class mission and I trust you with it Naruto. Is that trust misplaced?"

His eyes widened. Such a big mission and she still counted on him. He felt a big warmth spread through his body, for the first time since the incident. "I accept, Obaa-chan! Count on my with that mission! Absolutely no problem for the great Naruto!"

"Please stay safe Naruto. And no matter what, don't lose yourself. You can battle the Kyuubi, and you can reign your emotions."

"Of course", Naruto's stomach tightened, whether, in anticipation or discomfort, he could not quite determine.

He had to be strong now, for her as well. How bad could it be anyway? Kakashi-sensei had been a tough teacher, so he was already used to harsh training. Not seeing his friends in the meantime sucked, but had he gone with Jiraiya, he also wouldn't have seen them. As for Sasuke, he'd just have to beat him the next time they'd meet. Thus he left the office, feeling better than before and with his goals clear in his mind.

xXx

Tsunade sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Had she done the right thing? Would Naruto be OK in Danzo's grasp?

For now, she had to believe that he indeed would. Her conscience would eat her up otherwise. The kid was so naive, so loud and way too innocent.

Obviously, he was unsure of himself after the situation in the hospital and that's why he had accepted the mission without much complaint. Then again, he also didn't have a fucking clue what expected him at Root. Neither did she for that matter, but she could guess. The way she was using him made her cringe.

She remembered well the argument she'd had with Jiraiya just hours ago. How Jiraya had insulted her and shouted at her, asking her how she had become such a heartless and cruel person. She wasn't heartless and letting Naruto go like that hurt her, too. But this was for the best.

The village needed a strong, controlled Jinchuuriki. She needed a spy. The council needed to think they could rule her. Naruto needed to grow up. Win-win. Well, kind of. A little bit. Maybe.

Being Hokage was hard. Naruto wasn't at all suited for the job, despite his claims. When he emerged from Danzo's hideout in a few years, he might have what it takes. If he emerged.

Well, Naruto was hardly the first one to be sacrificed for the good of the village. She had read the files on a certain red-eyed crow summoner. But that hardly mattered now.

She trailed over to the window. When she followed the blond head disappear into the sea of villagers she couldn't help but feel like this was the last time she saw him. The next time that Naruto might be gone.

Tsunade walked away from the window to the opposite corner of the room. There, she pressed a hand on the seal that was drawn onto the wall. Only one thing left to do. A cupboard appeared where the seal had disappeared. She took out a sake bottle and sighed again. Being Hokage sucked. Time to get wasted.

xXx

"I will miss you guys! But we'll all become awesome ninja and the next time we meet again we'll all", at this Naruto raised his hand up high in the air, "eat Ramen!"

Sakura punched his shoulder but without strength. "And here I thought you'd say something inspiring as a farewell." Her words weren't harsh though and she smiled as she pulled him into a hug. The rookie nine, minus Sasuke, stood in front of the village gates and smiled at their blond friend.

"Where will you guys go first?"

"I'm not sure, Ino. I'm just the tagalong. But I am sure we'll head somewhere with hot springs for Pervy-Sage here." Everyone laughed at that.

"Research! Purely for research, I'll have you know!", Jiraiya was quick to verify as he stepped closer to the rookie nine circle. Then Kakashi appeared in a swirl of leaves, right next to Naruto, holding his trusty orange book. "I completely agree. Naruto, you should respect your teachers' decisions more. Jiraiya-sama's research is most important!" There was an unknown passion in his voice as Naruto facepalmed.

The two older shinobi shared a smug grin before Naruto loudly exclaimed "Sexy jutsu!" and they knew no more. As an unplanned side effect, Hinata's face tinted red and the poor girl fainted as well.

"Troublesome", Shikamaru huffed and that was that.

xXx

A little bit later, it was time to part ways with Jiraiya, as well. "So I guess this is goodbye, kid." Jiraiya stopped and turned towards the clone that had been walking next to him the past hour. "Yeah, good luck on your mission, Pervy-Sage."

"Have some respect will you?" Jiraiya shook his head. "Come here, Naruto." He pulled the clone into a hug and smiled warmly. "I'll be back before you realise it. And maybe when I come back I'll tell you about your parents." He grinned foxily at the loud exclamation that followed. Good thing, Naruto had recovered somewhat from his emotional trauma. Naruto pouted again! The world was alright. He sobered a little at the thought of the blond being stuck with Danzo, but he believed in the ninja. Naruto would be fine!

"Until next time brat, stay strong!" He head-butted the clone and continued his journey as the smoke dissolved behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap! Next time: 
> 
> Naruto had a strong urge to run away from his new 'home'...


	4. Welcome to Root

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING:
> 
> Child abuse ( Well Root in general isn't nice to kids, or grown-ups). You have been warned

Chapter 3

Welcome to Root

 

Naruto was impressed by the Root headquarters. He had never imagined there to be an entire city under the Hokage monument! That Base was seriously huge! If a little bland. They could definitely invest in some color, with rough, grey stone walls and simple earth as floor there was not much to look at. It didn't help that it was underground, thus no sunshine finding its way in. At times, the light in the corridors was orange and very bright, other times just a lamp every few hallway intersections. Anyway, it would really take some time until he'd find his way around the maze. Way too similar looking to orientate and too big to just remember by distance.

"Sai", that was the name of the way too quiet ninja that was to deliver him to Danzo, "Say, is there a map of the place? That would be seriously helpful."

"No, of course not.", the ninja replied and sounded a little bit incredulous behind his mask. Naruto couldn't be sure, he didn't see his face after all.

"Why not?", he insisted.

"Why would a top secret base spread around their information? Do we want to make it easy for our enemies?"

"I was just asking…"

"We're here anyway."

Danzo's office was impressive. Twice the size of the Hokage office and beautiful paintings adorning the walls. Between the beautiful landscapes of the fire country, he could see that the wall was littered with swirly designs. Beautiful, black ink on the light blue tapestry. Seals, he identified the designs. 'So this is where the money for the decoration went.', he laughed inwardly.

"Danzo-sama", Sai knelt respectfully on the ground before the old man, who occupied a large piece of furniture in the center of the room. Naruto just stared at the sight: Danzo almost reminded him of a Daimyo, ruling the country on his throne. Sai aimed a kick at the back of his knees and broke him out of his musings as he, too, was suddenly kneeling.

"Sai, thank you for bringing our new trainee here. You may rejoin your squad now."

"Yes, Danzo-sama."

Sai elegantly stood and went to the back of the room, where it looked like he melted into the walls. As Naruto saw this, it became clear to him that there were more shinobi in the room with them. But somehow they remained invisible. Silently watching. Admittedly, he felt somewhat uneasy now.

"Naruto, I welcome you to Root. From now on, you are part of the most elite shinobi organization of the entire village. Or better said, you're training to become one." Naruto was in awe as he heard this. Seemed like he had hit jackpot. "I will be honest with you, your training will be quite hard. Seeing as you're older than most our recruits, it will be quite a task to get you to catch up to their level. Therefore, you need to give it your all, can you do that?"

"You bet I can, old man!"

Danzo's eyes widened for a moment. Behind Naruto, another masked figure appeared and kicked him in the side. Hard. "You will address Danzo-sama with his respect."

"Thank you Shuko, that is quite enough.", Danzo said kindly. But that grandfatherly appearance didn't fool Naruto anymore. He groaned as he rolled to his side and then got up.

"Root is quite a bit different from what you are used to. Discipline, obedience, and endurance are the traits we value the most. In time I am sure, you will learn to appreciate them as well. Sai will help explain your new home to you later and assist you in the transition from your old life into this new one. Your training will start tomorrow. Root will help you control your emotions until you no longer endanger the village. Do you have any questions?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "When will I go on missions again?" A second later he remembered the respect thing and added "Sir."

"Once you have completed the initiation. You see, every new recruit starts out as a trainee. Depending on the potential and skill of the individual, the initiation phase, essentially a survival training, is shorter or longer. At the end is an obstacle tailored to the individual, a final test of courage and loyalty and then you're good to go. So really, it depends on your own will."

Naruto was feeling mixed feelings. On the one hand, he was all fired up and halt to be given this chance. On the other hand, he wondered, just how far he was behind the other trainees and if he could complete the training phase faster than the others. He wanted to be fast to get back to his friends in the village and to bring Sasuke back in the end.

"I see you are not entirely happy with this arrangement.", Danzo began, only kindness in his voice. "I know you want to go outside and be part of the village. But at Root, we are the shadow. We protect Konoha from threats that could otherwise destroy all those we hold dear. For the village, we give it our all. I was told you were a loyal shinobi, willing to give anything for the village and your comrades."

Naruto felt flattered and blushed. "I will do anything to protect my precious people."

"Then you are on your way to becoming the perfect Root shinobi. To save others, we take care of the darkness. We are but tools to protect the innocence of the village." What he said sounded reasonable. Yet Naruto didn't like the 'tool' part. That reminded him too much of Haku and Zabuza. "I will not be a tool, but a loyal ninja nonetheless, Sir."

"In time, you will understand. Come here, young trainee. I need you to sign these scrolls and add a little blood here."

"What does the blood do?"

"It's only so that you will be able to access HQ on your own, as they are protected with blood seals. The second scroll hinders you to give up the location of our base, willingly or unwillingly." Naruto nodded, without such precaution Root wouldn't have remained secret for long.

"Now to the last part." Danzo rummaged in the drawer of his mahogany desk and finally withdrew a blue name tag brooch. He threw it at the blond. As he read the name, his brows furrowed.

"Number 27?"

"Yes, 27 was initiated just yesterday. Alas, you will take her place. That will be your name as a trainee until you prove your worth."

"With respect, Danzo, but I like my name. And it's Naruto Uzumaki!"

"While at Root, you will be known as 27. That is a fact. Dismissed."

Naruto just stared at him, outraged. What was that old man thinking? How dare he degrade him like this? He was about to tell him his piece of mind when he was violently gapped at his arm and dragged out the office. Sai had been his handler.

"What the fuck Sai?"

"Just follow me 27 and stop making so much noise. It irritates me."

"Where are you taking me?"

"I assumed you were hungry. It is dinner time in just a bit and we do not want to be late."

The dining hall was already packed, there must have been sitting over 100 shinobi all clad in the same black training gear, all eating the same meal: White rice and some kind of vegetable/ meat paste. Not the food of the heavens, unfortunately.

For once, the ninja had left their masks and Naruto could study their faces. He gasped as he looked closely. Many were incredibly young, small enough to have just started the academy. However, they didn't resemble normal academy students at all. Despite their age, they fit right in with older, more experienced shinobi. His own guide, Sai, was a little older than him, but it couldn't be by much. Naruto was glad that he wasn't assigned to a younger person, he wasn't sure if he could take them seriously. Sai followed his gaze and decided to inform him a bit more. "Approximately 150 shinobi are part of Root at all times. 30 of that are trainees. Root shinobi work in squads, usually containing four or five members. We have 20 permanent squads and the rest jump between assignments, go on solo-missions or are acting as shinobi of Konoha in the meantime. Many live here, at the base, though some stay in the village. Mostly for appearances, though. And the trainees have to be here at all times."

"How do I know if they've already been initiated or not?"

"You can kind of read it on their faces, who is a trainee and who is an actual member."

"What? How is that?!"

"Well, let's just say that the initiation really takes a lot… of effort." Apparently, that was all Sai was gonna say on that matter.

"I noticed that most Root members are quite young…"

"Well, I would answer that age is relative, 27. How old are you?"

"Don't call me that name! And I'm 13 now."

Sai smiled in a very creepy and unnerving fashion. "As you wish, dickless. And you've been a shinobi for how long? A year?"

"Yeah around that you jerk."

"Then take a look at Odachi over there", he pointed at a little black haired boy, who was silently eating. "He's been a full member of my squad for about four years now."

That caused Naruto to spit out some of the rice he had just shoved into his mouth. "What? How is this possible? He is even younger than me!"

"Age can be deceiving here. He was seven when he finished initiation."

Naruto was amazed and at the same time a little bit disgruntled. Making children do missions didn't seem that great. "Surely those weren't all D-ranks, the missions your squad took I mean."

Sai actually laughed at that. For the first time, his face showed something different than a poor attempt at a faked smile. "So you can laugh for real!" He regretted saying those words immediately but alas, he couldn't take them back. He was greeted with an emotionless silence that neither broke as they continued picking their food uncomfortably. Eventually, Sai spoke again. "In order to survive this, you learn to discard your emotions."

"Sounds tough", Naruto voiced but wasn't really connecting the information to his own fate. He stared intently at the small children all over the hall. "Where are their parents?"

"You of all people should be able to guess."

Naruto swallowed down a bitter retort. Sai and he would probably need a lot more time to warm up. That guy was even more stuck up than Sasuke! Previously he wouldn't have thought such a feat possible. 'Oh well, it can always get worse, they say… What might Sasuke be doing right now?'

His musings were interrupted when Danzo entered the room. Immediately, all of Root stood to attention. The formed rows in front of a kind of stage platform at the end of the massive hall. Naruto followed suit and joined on the rows further away from the stage. As one, they all bowed to Danzo. Sai appeared next to him. "So you do learn after all", he smirked.

"What's going on?", he hissed.

"Just a plenum, dickless. It happens every other day."

Naruto was about to retort when Danzo spoke.

"My dear Root, first of all, we have a new recruit, as I am sure you have noticed. Please help him feel right at home with us." There was no applause, no smiles as everyone turned to stare at Naruto. 'Not creepy, at all' he thought and ran a hand through his hair. "Hi everyone, I'm Naruto Uzumaki, dattebayo! Nice to meet-" Just then a hand slapped on his mouth. "Quiet, 27. It's not your turn to talk." Sai's reaction seemed to please Danzo and he continued his speech.

"Unfortunately, there is yet another matter that needs to be addressed. Squad 16, step forward." As one, three shinobi stepped forward. They seemed tense and made Naruto wonder just what Danzo was up to. "Report", he simply demanded.

One figure stepped forward and bowed down deeply. "After our last mission, which was outside of the village, my squad was on their way home. Our newest member, Nagamaki, stepped away for a bit. I let her, as this was her first team mission after initiation, so I thought she deserved a little free time."

"It is not your place to think, Makibishi." Danzo's tone was cold as ice, the corners of his mouth twisted in a way befitting his anger.

"Yes, Danzo-sama."

"Continue."

"An hour later, we decided to look for Nagamaki. She was found at a playground, in contact with Konoha children."

A collective gasp went through the hall. "Bring Nagamaki", he ordered. At his command, two new shinobi arrived, one of which was a young girl, whose hands were bound behind her back. Her whole demeanor was downcast and upset. The other, her handler, was another stony-faced puppet.

"What do you have to say in your defense?"

"Please forgive me, Danzo-sama! I didn't mean to!" She was crying now.

"What were you doing, fraternizing with the enemy?"

Naruto frowned at that. So her crime was playing with other children? She couldn't have been older than six or seven. Yet she was already a squad member…

"What do you mean enemy?", he asked out loud before he could stop himself. He could practically feel Sai beside him urging to facepalm. Wasn't his problem though. What the heck was wrong with Danzo and his minions? Shocked whispers followed his question. Apparently, no one was supposed to question Danzo's words. Well, they hadn't met the great Naruto Uzumaki yet! "Why are you declaring Konoha children as enemies? And besides, what is wrong with letting a child join kids on the playground?"

"27, I see you are unfortunately following in your predecessor's footsteps. Disobedience will not be tolerated here, at Root."

"Predecessor? What are you talking about?"

"Well, Nagamaki here joined Squad 16 yesterday. Before that, she was known as 27. It doesn't bode well that you are already stepping out of line."

"I will take any punishment, Danzo-sama." The crying girl, Nagamaki, knelt before Danzo, so low she was almost kissing the ground.

"That was a great crime, and so soon after your initiation. I think, you rather need to learn your place now, before this becomes a habit." He signed to the other shinobi of squad 16. "A number eight should suffice. If you please."

Immediately, the three shinobi attacked the kneeling form from all sides. Kicking her with force. For a second, Naruto was shell-shocked. Then he reacted. In a blur he was beside the girl, shielding her and attacking the others in return. Eight bunshins appeared and formed a circle around the girl. "What the fuck is wrong with you people?", he yelled. "She is your comrade and you beat her up for having fun with some kids? While she herself is a kid?"

One by one, his clones were dispelled. But to his surprise, it wasn't squad 16 or Danzo, or any of the watching Root shinobi. No, it was the beaten, bloody girl in the middle of it all.

"I don't need you to disgrace me, 27", she spat at his original after the bunshins were dissolved. "I have failed Danzo-sama and for that, I will take my punishment!"

Naruto's world turned upside down. How? Why was she angry at him now? He had defended her from this sick show of power! Naruto turned around to face Danzo. "The way you treat your shinobi is wrong, it disgusts me!"

Danzo snapped his finger, and all of a sudden, Naruto found himself enwrapped in wood, from the shoulder down, he was unable to move. "You are one of my shinobi now, 27. And such disrespect will not be tolerated, new trainee or not. This cannot slide."

Naruto was livid. "If Tsunade-baa-chan knew about this, you'd be the one punished! How can you be so cruel towards your own people?"

"The Hokage has more important matters to attend, I assure you. Don't fret, we will take care of your unwillingness soon enough." Slowly, he approached Naruto and took out a piece of paper. He calmly pressed it against Naruto's neck, the only area, besides his head, not covered by wood. The seal sizzled as it met his skin, glowed blue and then disappeared.

"What did you do?", Naruto demanded to know. However, something was wrong. He repeated the words. Only, nothing came out, not a single tone was heard. "Hey!", he screamed, but the hall stayed quiet.

"Ah, peace and quiet. That is much better. Now, Sumi, please seal his chakra for the moment. He will not need it during the beginning of his training." As the wood around him disappeared, a red-haired teen knelt in front of him. "I'm sorry", he whispered and it seemed genuine. Naruto accepted his fate and held out his arm, which the red hair promptly drew on with black ink. 'No question where he got his name from. Sumi - ink. Well, not much worse than all these weapon names that the others have."

When Sumi was done, Naruto felt an emptiness inside him. Disconnected from a huge part of himself. Danzo saw his discomfort and smiled down at him. "This is lesson number one: Unless prompted, you will stay silent. Sai, show him to his sleeping quarters. He will not join the other trainees in the sleeping hall. Too much contact won't do him good."

"Yes, Danzo-sama."

Naruto felt humiliated and angry. Nobody had ever taken away his voice. Yes, he was a loud person and he frequently annoyed his team members with his volume. But they would be scandalized by the workings of this organization, too! Today he had acted the right way! Yet, no one supported him. The Root shinobi all found his behavior to be faulty, not the sick machinations of that old asshole. He shook his head… All he could do now was wait. As soon as he got his voice back, he would report to Tsunade. She had been suspicious of Danzo, after all. Turned out, with good reason.

They walked by a room of which the door had been removed. Inside he could make out over 20 futons. Children, the root trainees, were shuffling about, getting ready for the night. When there was talking, it was very hushed and quiet. 'Strange', Naruto thought, 'if I were with my teammates I'd be up talking with them half the night.' Sai seemed to read his thoughts. "Getting a full night of sleep is a rarity for them so they know better than to waste their time for anything else but resting." Naruto looked confused at that. "Sleep deprivation training", Sai shrugged and continued on. A few hallways across and stairs further down, the air began to change. I reeked of human waste and wails could be heard behind closed doors. Cells. Naruto didn't need to be told that. Abruptly, Sai stopped in front of one of these cell doors and drew a little blood with a kunai. He smeared the blood through a seal underneath the handle and immediately the heavy metal door swung wide open.

"Actually these cells are used for traitors and threats, or really naughty trainees. And I mean seriously naughty."

Naruto stood behind him and peeked inside. The cell was empty. That could only mean-! 'Oh shit! That ancient bastard!' Sai waited until his silent rage ebbed a bit, then gestured to the cell. Naruto snarled at him and made no move, but remained stubbornly where he stood.

"Listen, I don't know what you think of yourself, dickless, but this is not a game. You should respect Danzo or you will suffer for it."

Naruto huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. He gave him a look that clearly said he didn't care.

"You're the property of Root now, 27. The sooner you realize that you're on your own, that your so-called friends won't come to the rescue, the better." Sai smiled at him, but it might as well have been a snarl. "Welcome to Root, trainee, I hope you will enjoy your stay."

With these final words, he shut the cell and Naruto was left all alone in the dark cold room. There was no furniture at all, just one big, empty bowl, which he couldn't figure out the use for. The room was quite small, but in the darkness, he couldn't see the walls anyway.

Naruto screamed in frustration. But no sound escaped his throat. No noise to distract him, no light to give him hope, no blanket to warm him. He threw himself against the door as hard as he could, but without his chakra all hat accomplished was a fat bruise building on his shoulder. Still, he didn't give up so fast. Again and again, he hit the unbudging door, to no avail.

Naruto had felt loneliness before, hell, growing up as the village pariah had isolated him from the start. But it had been a long time since he had felt so utterly helpless. All that left to him, was to curse Danzo! He yelled at him in his head. When he got out, he'd show that slimy bastard Danzo! Naruto was gonna be Hokage, such a small thing was not intimating him at all! He was Konoha's number one surprising ninja and Danzo would do better to remember that.

xXx

 

Meanwhile, in another underground hideout, not too different from Root, Sasuke entered into Orochimaru's study. It was packed with shelves, overflowing with scrolls and books. All undoubtedly written on different clans' secrets and even forbidden jutsu.

"So nice of you to join me, Sasuke darling." Orochimaru's voice did this creepy little hissing sound at the end, which made Sasuke's arm hairs shoot up.

"I want you to finally start training me. I did not come here to sit on my hands." Straight to the point. He needed the other to start, to hurry up and get serious.

The older man closed in on him and whispered in his ear. "Why, it will be my pleasure to teach you about these things. Don't worry dear, I will be gentle."

"I don't want you to be gentle! I want it rough!"

"Are you certain that's wise? To put such a strain on your body from the start?"

"I can take it!"

"My, such a spirited one you are. It will be my honor and I'll make sure it'll be pleasurable for you, as well." The way his eyes were trailing down his body and undressing him in the process made him seriously uncomfortable. Suddenly, it dawned on Sasuke that they both were talking about distinctly different topics. His face transformed into one of those tomatoes he liked so much. Fucking pervert making him self-conscious!

Sasuke was brimming with anger. What was his business insinuating such things? Still, he tried to calm down. The angrier he got, the stronger the curse seal reacted. At the moment he didn't need its powers, so he tried suppressing it. 'Breathe. Stay in control', his mind repeated.

When he spoke, his voice could have cut through steel. "I came here to become stronger, Orochimaru. Not to get your dick up my ass."

The snake Lord sighed and then smirked. "Then how about the other way around? I feel a bit adventurous today."

Sasuke's breath hitched as the other was too close for comfort, too close to let him smell anything but that disgustingly sweet perfume Orochimaru used. The other man utterly repelled him.

"No, I wish to train and nothing more", he bit out. "If you can't give me that, I'll just leave."

"Don't be like that my little Sasuke. I'll train you, promise." He leaned down and nibbled his earlobe gently before whispering. "But everything comes at a price. You already left your cute blond boyfriend behind for me, so what's keeping you?"

"Naruto is not my boyfriend. I'm straight, you bastard. I can see you won't train me properly today, so I'll leave. Go fuck Kabuto if you're that needy, seriously." Pissed, Sasuke stormed off to relieve some tension in the training hall. He would have to train alone yet again, it seemed.

"You're in denial!", sang the hissing voice as he ran through the corridors. Seriously the Sannin were just a bunch of perverts that made decent shinobi. He sighed. Hopefully, he would become stronger, fast. He wanted to get away from this hellhole finish off that bastard brother of his. And then… he wasn't sure what would happen after. He wanted to revive his clan but that was way in the future. He was still too young for a family. The mental picture of a mob of blond hair flashed behind his eyes. Naruto. Team 7. Kakashi. Could he even return to the village? According to Orochimaru's sources, Sasuke hadn't been declared a missing-nin yet. Peculiar. Yet strangely satisfactory.

He couldn't seriously miss the dobe now could he? Yes they had been friends. But they had never seen eye to eye. Never had truly connected over anything. Truth be told, that was mostly his fault since Naruto had really tried hard to gain his approval. And Sasuke had damaged that bond. It was just that, just that his goal was much more pressing, much greater than his own happiness. Avenging his clan was the number one priority. The Uchiha were a proud clan. As such, having a traitor unaccounted for was simply unacceptable. Not to mention the one who had been supposed to be the next clan head, being the one to slaughter them all.

'Why couldn't Itachi just wait till it was his turn to become clan head? He would have been in power, he would have been admired and adored! Why did he kill them all instead?'

Naruto was a better brother than Itachi. Not one he could look up to, admittedly. But one that would support him, share the pain. One that wouldn't double-cross him. Being confessed to was strange... He didn't want Naruto to turn into a fan girl. But likely this wouldn't happen now anyway, their bond was broken. Maybe one day Naruto would understand his hardships, even forgive him for his defection. If not, then at least he had fulfilled the duty to his clan. 'No need to regret my decision, just carry on and stay focused.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up:  
> Will Naruto ever truly appreciate the quiet?


	5. New Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING:
> 
> Psychological torture

OMG I AM THE WORST!!!!! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!  
I literally forgot about this and on top of that, I even posted the wrong chapter. I am incredibly sorry.  
I am already done with chapter 15 (and have been for quite some time, sorry >.<) and I will update swiftly!  
The truth is, over the last months I got a depression and absolutely no motivation to write at all. However, I just planned out the rest of the fic and I am confident I will finish it during January, maybe before. So, since I hate it when authors never finish their stories, I will definitely not abandon it and finish it!  
I POROMISE!!!

 

Chapter 4

New family

Quiet. Everything was eerily quiet. Naruto had lost all sense of time while he stared into the darkness around him. He had finally figured out what the empty bucket had been there for after his bladder had become really irritated with him. That had been hours ago. Still no sign of visitors. He got up from the floor. Damn chakra seals. They were also interfering with his healing and his shoulders and arms looked like expressionistic paintings. Not that he could actually see them; but he could feel them, alright. He hammered against the door. Desperately he punched his knuckles against the hard stone again and again. Finally, there was blood, yet he continued on. Hoping, someone would come and relieve him from this prison.  
How long could they be mad at him for voicing his opinion? Seriously Danzo was mad! He couldn't really expect him to just accept the beating of a small kid?! And how they had all just stood around, it made him snarl. Pathetic! 'Those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash.' Kakashi-sensei's words rang in his mind. He had done the right thing! And he did not regret it. Just then, his stomach decided to growl. He curled up on the earthen floor and concentrated on his breathing. It took a long time, but finally, he was asleep.

A few days later, Naruto was ready to go mad. His mind was killing him. Thinking had never been one of his strengths and to be forced to only spend time with himself was the worst thing imaginable. 'Will I ever go outside again? Will I ever see the sun again? Why are they doing this to me? What the heck is wrong with them? That is definitely not what I signed up for. Seriously, first that despicable argh - Danzo tells me he'll train me and then he just throws me away. He didn't even test my skills or anything. So why am I all alone here? What is this doing to me? It has been several days, at least judging by the meals they leave at my feet. Somehow they always manage to slip it in when I'm asleep. Man their timing is pretty good. What am I thinking I shouldn't be praising them! What the fuck? The bastards! ARGH! But I'll try really hard and then I'll stay awake and I'll slip out when they bring me food!"

Naruto was really determined to stay awake. But that didn't do well. In sleep, he could at least escape his harsh thoughts. The longer he stayed isolated, the darker his thoughts became. He was turning into a bumbling mess. Too often his thoughts strayed to Sasuke. And the villagers and their hate. The fact that he was the Kyuubi container.  
'Sasuke hates me. And he has no reason to! I was always there for him! Supporting him! And what does he do? He fucking yanks Chidori through my chest! Like seriously is that how you treat a friend? And he even had the nerve to laugh at me after I told him I loved him! How dare he? But still, Sasuke is suffering too! I can still save him, it's just that he is too focused on revenge right now. Really Itachi should get the award for shittiest brother ever!"  
There was a fanfare in his mind and applause sounded in the distance. "Welcome to the show dear audience! Today I present to you the shittiest brother award in like ever. We have the following nominees: First up: Neji Hyuuuuga! - He's not a brother! - True, but he acts like a right bastard to Hinata! Next up is Itachi Uchiha! Famous, brilliant and utterly completely emotionless. Not to mention the large scale he goes on to prove that he really doesn't care about his little brother. Last but not least - NARUTO UZUMAKI! What? Why me? What did I do? BESIDES I DON'T EVEN HAVE A BROTHER! Really shows how shitty this show is… But did you not declare that you were brothers? Then why do you want to snog him so badly? Really do you think incest is okay?! But hey we are not related by blood! Yeah, that's why he chose Itachi over you. Blood is thicker than water they say…"  
It was official. Naruto hated his thoughts. He hated having been degraded in such a chaotic way. But the longer he stayed up to wait for a person to come, the worse his concentration got and his thoughts trailed off more and more. He didn't like having bizarre scenarios playing in his head. Well, some he didn't mind. Like his fantasies where Sasuke would come home to him and pull him it a fierce kiss. He loved it; until he woke up and realized he was utterly alone and stuck in a dark cell. That realization always hit him like Sakura's chakra punches. Being alone felt like being abandoned by Sasuke all over again. Tears welled up in his eyes. He didn't deserve this feeling. It was horrible! Absolute nightmare! His throat hurt and he wanted to yell, scream, rage; however, only his fist made sounds as they connected with the wall. The pain kept him alive. Somewhat grounded. There was nothing else, no other sensation but the throbbing pain that shot up his fist, worming itself all the way up his shoulder, to his stiff neck. The pain was all he had left.  
Eventually, he fell asleep again and when he woke, there was a delicious smell flowing into his nose. As he robbed closer to the mouthwatering smell, his heart beat in excitement. There was actual Ramen there! And it was still warm! When he slurped the noodles in satisfaction he cried out in joy. Silent tears fell down his cheeks. Yet he also felt desperate. Would he ever be able to taste Teuchi's Ramen again? Would he ever be able to do what he wanted again and be free? Even the amazing food couldn't keep his thoughts positive. He had missed meeting his prison guards again, no sign of human contact. If he had just stayed awake a little longer…

Naruto had tried everything. Meditation. Counting. Push-ups. Pulling his hair. Anything, just keep his thoughts clear. Maybe some of this had helped maybe it had made his mental state worse. He wouldn't know since this was a situation unlike any before. How long had he been alone in this cell now? Two weeks? A month? A year? Honestly, he did not have the slightest clue. Food was just enough not to starve but didn't really give him much energy. Nor was it a great culinary experience. After that Ramen one time, it had been back to dried stuff or unrecognizable mashed up stuff.  
His brain was deteriorating, sadly. He knew this from the few moments of clarity he had. Mostly though, he drifted through memories incoherently. Going into one another, mixing, jumbling, tumbling and twisting. Sometimes he heard voices of his precious people. Other times feel saw a light by the door, someone opening it to let him out. He knew those illusions weren't real, but they eased the pain a little bit. In the end, he just felt empty. All possible thoughts had been thought about and all energy had left him. Now, he was so utterly spent and alone that he could do nothing but feel. He wasn't Naruto anymore. He was no one in particular, just a passing thought, just something that could receive sensations and react to them. He didn't have thoughts for himself, he was not active, but passive. Something artificial, like a humanoid machine?  
All of a sudden, there was a strange sensation in his head, almost like a voice invading his mind. It sounded soft, likable. The machine was surprised. Could it be? Was he no longer alone? The voice spoke and it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard in his life. "To be a shinobi is to sacrifice yourself for the village. You are a tool to be used by Danzo-sama." Danzo! That name brought memories back, but they were unpleasant. Naruto wanted to snarl, the happy smile the voice had brought, disappeared. "Danzo is a fucking bastar-", his thoughts were interrupted by sharp pain. His head hurt like someone had trampled on it. When it finally let up again, the voice spoke. It told of the ninja rules and of the life of a tool. And each time Naruto responded negatively to the name Danzo, he would get an aching pain dulling his senses further. The harder he fought that pain, the stronger it got. Eventually, the voice quieted and he felt devastated. Left alone, to fend for himself, again. Luckily the words that had been spoken to him echoed in his mind and kept him occupied. They were like a path in the forest or like a rope to hold onto.

It was a few meals later that he had another break down in a coherent moment. Maybe he had imagined the voice? Was he going mad? He couldn't remember what he was doing here. Where was this place? Oh yeah, that was Root punishment. He wasn't in charge at all. Nothing made sense. This was worse than death. If it meant being free from this prison he wouldn't mind dying, he pondered. Honestly, being mad was probably his best shot at surviving this ordeal. Did Tsunade know what he was going through? Had she abandoned him on purpose? Probably no to both of them but he was feeling a little spiteful. Tsunade would never knowingly let him stay in such a place. Or did she? After all, he had attacked her. The Kyuubi was at fault but did she know that? Maybe. He thought he hated the fox but had he access to the evil chakra, he could have escaped. Well, any chakra would be really helpful in this situation. But it was sealed, Danzo had seen to that. At least, now he couldn't turn into a monster on a whim. The villagers wouldn't like that for sure, neither would Tsunade. How could someone as pathetic as him ever hope to become Hokage?  
"Don't be sad, 27", a voice was in his head again. "You also have a purpose, just as every shinobi, you have the honor of fighting for your home. Do not despair. The village is all you need. Danzo-sama is the person that will help you achieve your dream."  
"My dream?"  
"Of course, 27. He will help you keep your precious people safe."  
"My precious people?"  
"Your family." He only heard the voice, but he thought whoever he was talking to was smiling.  
"I have family?", he asked bewildered.  
"Silly! Don't you know? Your family is here, at Root!"  
"I don't see my family! SASUKE!" 27 was crying. He didn't know where that name came from, but he was utterly terrified by the feelings that accompanied it. Who was Sasuke? Why did it hurt so bad? How could he make it stop?

Once again the voice was helping 27 get through the madness of his isolation.  
"Where is my family?" He was sobbing in his mind.  
"Can't you feel them? They are all around you!"  
"There is no one!", he insisted.  
"You are not alone. Just feel them. It might be hard, but you can do it. Danzo-sama has high hopes for you, so don't disappoint him."  
"What about you?"  
"What?"  
"Do you have high hopes for me too?"  
"I am but a tool for Danzo-sama. My feelings and thoughts are not important. But his goals are my goals. His dreams my dreams. Now, try reaching the other tools around you. Can you feel them? Their chakra?"  
He couldn't. But that didn't mean he wouldn't. In fact, this challenge was very welcome. At least he had something to do now other than think.

* * *

 

Sai was impressed. A feat which was not easily accomplished. Naruto Uzumaki, known as Number 27 now, or dickless in his head, had been in isolation for more than 3 weeks now. 23 days to be exact. And he still hadn't broken, he still retained a sense of self. That spoke of a hardened spirit, in fact, no one before had held out this long. He and his squad had been keeping watch over him the whole time. Naginata, his female teammate, was a Yamanaka orphan, and as such very helpful in checking the mental state of their charge. To make sure that 27 became a loyal tool for all the others.  
The reason Danzo-sama hat ordered 27 to go into isolation was that the blood seals hadn't worked on Naruto's tough mind yet. That first day in his office, when Naruto had signed the seals with his blood, he had actually been pulled into a strong mind-compelling seal. It was supposed to keep from informing outsiders of the organization but also ensured loyalty over time. When the victim so much as thought badly of Danzo, they would feel pain immediately. The longer and darker the thoughts were, the greater the pain that ensued. Treason was something that just didn't happen at Root. Of course, some members, like Sai had learned how to work around that. Excellent shinobi learned to adapt after all and they were usually strong-willed. Alas, in order for the mind seal to really work, the mind had to be weakened. At least in the beginning. Therefore, his team was in charge of breaking him. Not too much of course. Their mission was still to craft him into the perfect tool, and nobody had a use for a broken, psychotic mess. So his teammate and expert on the mind, Naginata, had suggested they comfort him with his favorite food. Truly, Sai had never expected such a positive reaction. But the power of those salty, fatty noodles really did revive some spirit in him. Almost too much so and they had to prolong his stay a bit.

Finally, after six long weeks in the isolation cell, 27 was ready to start his training in person. After being deprived of human contact for so long, he would be more than happy to having his thoughts reshaped and mind sculpted. Sai was proud. 'We'll make the perfect tool out of you yet', he smiled as he thought about his own creation. Naruto had been a loud, boasting ninja. 27 would become silent, deadly and obedient. Just like they all were. And then he'd help Sai bring down Danzo-sama... Just then a harsh pain filled his being and Sai did his best not to cry out. Behind his mask, his squadmates could not see his discomfort and he was glad having to wear the thing while on duty. He drew in a deep breath and focused his mind elsewhere.  
It was time to start teaching 27. The tool was ready to be sharpened.

* * *

 

  
The voice helped him through the emptiness. With great yearning, he awaited the moments in which they would talk together. She was a tool for Danzo-sama, she had said. He was like her, she'd told him. And finally, she had helped him sharpen his perception, to finally feel them too. 27 was not alone anymore. In fact, there were over a hundred tools not far from him at all. He knew their chakra signature very well by now and yearned to meet them in the flesh. Soon he'd be able to fight together with them, to go on missions and prove his worth. 27 was ready for the training he would have to go through before. He couldn't remember if he'd ever had training before, but that didn't matter. In time, he would be sharpened and then he'd get the honor of a name, as well. He couldn't wait! Oh but wait! The voice had said that emotions were unnecessary. He should be observant, unjudging. So, he waited calmly in the cell. Masking his chakra. All this time it had been there, unusable to him because of the seals he had received. In fact, the seals were still as strong as ever, but he didn't need chakra, to feel other chakra signatures. For jutsu, one needed to mold their own chakra. But to mask one's chakra and to perceive other chakra signatures, one needed to develop a new sense. Really, those were fundamentally different types of chakra usage. The voice had taught him all about it and about shinobi rules. The gratitude he felt for helping him become a better tool to Danzo-sama could not be expressed in words. He just hoped he could repay it in person one day. "You are ready, 27", she said finally and he couldn't agree more.

* * *

 

Next: Will he regain his memories? Will he become the perfect tool? Training begins for real!

It was hard for me to write about Naruto losing his mind and his spirit but I hope I succeeded in making it somewhat realistic. If it were me, I would have broken down after 2 days I think... But Naruto is something else definitely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who left kudos / comments!  
> Your input is greatly appreciated and helps me improve the story. Another thing, the story centers around Naruto, Sai, Sasuke, and Itachi (and possibly more characters such as Kakashi and Tenzou in the future). Even though it's very Naruto-heavy at the moment, I promise that Itachi will appear soon. I just want to focus on telling the story properly and give Naruto some character development, before he will finally meet Itachi again. That being said, I hope you will be patient and I hope you enjoy the chapter.
> 
> Next: Will Naruto regain his memories? Or will he become the perfect tool? Training begins for real!
> 
> It was hard for me to write about Naruto losing his mind and his spirit but I hope I succeeded in making it somewhat realistic. If it were me, I would have broken down after 2 days I think... But Naruto is something else definitely.


	6. A tool's bonds

Chapter 5

_A tool's bonds_

The doctor looked at the dark haired man sitting in front of him with concern. "I'm sorry, son. There is nothing I can do. In this stage the disease is fatal." The words only affirmed what Itachi had figured on his own. He got impatient, as the doctor looked at him with pity. Pity he didn't deserve.  
"How long?"  
"Three years at most, and I recommend bed rest. Try to put as little strain on your body as possible, or you might not even get two more years."  
"Hn." Nothing he could follow, but the man didn't need to know that.  
Itachi had to fight back a smile. "Thank you", he said shortly and got up to leave. Any other 18-year-old would have broken down and cried. _Not Itachi_. Not just because he was controlling his emotions, which he was doing constantly anyway, but because to him this was not a disaster at all. Unlike other teenagers, to him, the disease was _salvation_ : Only three more years until his body would spare him more constant pain. It was nice to know that while he still had to fulfill plans in his remaining time, his days were numbered. But before he could finally lay to rest, there was much to accomplish:

He had to put a stop on Akatsuki for one. Spying on them was the first step and it was high time he returned to Konoha to talk with the new Hokage about countermeasures. He hadn't met Tsunade personally yet, but she seemed strong and caring enough to carry on the fight against the terror organization. Before that could happen however, he needed to get rid of Kisame. Already he was taking liberties of visiting a doctor in his own time without his partner knowing about it. But he didn't want the leader or Madara to find out about his condition. If they thought he was useless to them, they wouldn't share the important details with him anymore. That just wouldn't do.  
So how should he go about this? Maybe if he got close enough to Konoha's borders to send a bunshin he could report to Tsunade-sama, while straying just a little from Kisame and not enough to warrant caution on his partner's end. Well, there was this one shady brothel in a little village close enough to Konoha, where the blue fishface loved spending time. Yes, this could work. Kisame wouldn't know about his sickness, nor would he find out about his loyalty to the leaf. Itachi would make absolutely sure of that.  
A coughing fit abruptly ripped him from his musings. A most unpleasant experience. And with time it would only get worse, the doctor had prophesied him. At least he wouldn't suffer all that long... 'Two years', he thought, because there was no way to get the proper rest, 'time to get started.'

* * *

Danzo smiled down at his newest tool. 27 Had been released from his isolation just yesterday and was meeting him for the first time. Squad two certainly had accomplished a brilliant feat. This young ninja would finally be susceptible to Root's philosophy, finally malleable into the strength his village and he himself needed. Too funny that Tsunade had so foolishly given away her greatest tool, without real resistance. The Kyuubi still needed to be controlled, but that would be easier to accomplish now than ever. Without nasty morals getting in the way. He chuckled. To think that Hiruzen had tried to avoid this was really ironic. How had that soft idiot not seen the potential that was standing to attention right at this moment? The Kyuubi was right where he belonged, finally.  
"Danzo-sama", 27 said hoarsely as soon as his muteness seal was removed. The apparent respect in his voice did not go unnoticed by Danzo.  
"I see the time to think on your own has taught you well, 27."  
"Thank you Danzo-sama", the tool seemed pleased.  
"Now, you will start training on your skills, 27. Any lack of discipline, improvement, and disobedience will not be tolerated."  
"Understood, sir."  
"Very well. I expect great things from you, 27. Do me proud." He smiled just a little and the tool's eyes shone with awe.  
"I will not fail you, Danzo-sama."

* * *

Sai sighed tiredly. It had been a long, tiring month. After releasing 27 from his cell, they had to start integrating him into their daily life at Root. Naturally, at first they had to check him up with medic-nins. Six weeks in isolation and with minimal movement had strained his body and weakened him. They had to start to rehabilitate him slowly. If Danzo would just allow 27 his chakra back, then the Kyuubi would heal him immediately. But no, the long way it was.  
They spent a lot of time with their new charge, but with his mind fucked up as well, he wasn't even any fun to tease. It was Sai's fault that dickless had ended this way, but he didn't feel guilty about it. A tool was a tool, and emotions were hindering. Especially once initiation came around. Naruto, as he had been, wouldn't have survived that. But 27 wouldn't shatter at the challenge. Sai would prepare him well for that as he felt he owed that to him, at least.  
So, they had started on slow workouts to build muscles. Then, they had taught him Taijutsu. His skills were abysmal, so there was a LOT to work on. Shuko, another subordinate of his team, was specializing in several styles that were suitable to their charge and squad two remained in charge of 27's training.  
Of course, this would not have been all that tiring, if Danzo didn't expect them to also keep up with other missions at the same time. At night they headed out to do deliveries, assassinations, guard duty - routines basically - but was always one member short for whoever stayed to guard 27. That meant they were overworked and unhappy this fine morning in the training hall.  
The whole of squad 2 was assembled: Young Odachi was yawning loudly, but other than that stayed quiet as usual. His skills at genjutsu were unparalleled in all of Root and he was Sai's favorite member of the squad. Naginata, a loyal shinobi for Danzo, or so it would seem. She was great at manipulation and torture, anyone's mind was an open book to her. Then there was Shuko, whose head was full of shit, basically. Sai hated that insufferable prick and his fake casualness when they all were tools and knew it. Still, squad 2 was well rounded, if a little unstable at times. Basically, they were known as the crazy bunch, but since their missions were uncannily successful, they were ranked second best Squad. Only Kinoe's squad was named number one and they had crazy power-houses on their side what with the wood user being captain and also sprouting a genius sealmaster, too.  
With suqad 2 assembled, they were to start the more emotionally taxing parts of 27's education: To ensure that all his former emotional ties were cut, the trainee would have to kill the people he had once cherished. Naginata's mind jutsu found out which person to imitate and then Sai created some clones to kill, perfected with Odachi's genjutsu.  
"There are some enemies you are required to kill." Sai instructed and the blond ninja nodded and glanced at his first target: A dark-haired girl with pearly white eyes, who Sai had once seen from some distance.  
"Yes", 27 replied softly and made to attack. His voice still hurt even now that the silence seal was gone. It didn't matter. He had orders.

* * *

27 noticed something was off. He had just slashed the throat of a pink-haired shinobi when suddenly there was great agony shooting through his mind. He didn't understand. Where did this deep remorse come from? The tool shook his head as if to throw the pain away and signaled Sai. Another target appeared: This one was a silver-haired shinobi who wore a black fabric over the lower part of his face. Immediately he tried to categorize his skillset and estimate his rank, as he had been trained to do when first facing an opponent. Yet, something else was on his mind. Somehow, the enemy felt familiar. That orange book in his hand as well. Should that ring a bell? He wasn't sure.  
"Today if you'd please, 27!", came a mock salute from Shuko. That ninja wore a hint of mischief on him, which 27 found very pleasant, if unusual. He couldn't say why he felt like this. After all, jokes had no use on the battlefield.  
Without warning, 27 ran up to the shinobi, whom he categorized as a jounin, and now stepped out of the way fast. He tried his newly trained skills in taijutsu, throwing punch after punch, but the jounin was responding with great skill and didn't let himself be hit. After a while he figured this opponent really was a ninja of great skill.  
"What are you doing? Why are you attacking me, Naruto?", the enemy yelled, just as a kick connected to his abdomen. 27 heaved and got up instantly. Trying to get him to lower his guard by chumming up to him wouldn't work. No such tricks would ever distract him.  
Eventually, he got the enemy with a kunai piercing his heart. 'Looks like red rain', 27 observed curiously and turned to his instructors.  
"Next one coming up. Try to beat it within two minutes this time."  
His only response was a nod. That would be a challenge; one, he definitely wouldn't fail. To disappoint his instructors and Danzo-sama, in turn, was simply unthinkable. Those thoughts were swirling in his mind before he looked at the new opponent in front of him.

And then he stood there. A dark-haired youth with a frown greeted him. 'Sasuke!' Feelings of joy, companionship and -was that fear?- mixed in his gut. It was him! The other had returned! He was overwhelmed! What was going on? Why was Sasuke there?  
"I said you have a time frame", Sai stated calmly.  
"What?" Very eloquent.  
"Attack him for fuck's sake, you idiot! How dense can you be?" Shuko shook his head.  
"I don't want to!" Naruto wasn't sure what was going on, but Sasuke was here and somehow he had made it outside the cell. Come to think of it, why couldn't he remembered how he'd gotten here? For a moment he concentrated intensely and he got some hazy memories in return. Like thinking about a dream you had the night before. Somehow they made him beat clones that looked like his precious people... That thought sickened him. How could they? How dare they play him like this?  
"Why would you make me kill someone who looks like Sasuke? It's not like that is something I will need on the field. I would never attack my comrades!" Naruto's voice grew on volume as he almost yelled those words angrily into Sai's face. Shuko scowled. "It's not your place to ask why we have you do an exercise, 27. Did you hit your head again?" He winked at him. Actually winked! That guy had some nerve!  
"Look I don't know who you think you are Mr entitled-sama, but listen closely: I DON'T FUCKING HURT MY FRIENDS!"  
"Oi, I think dickless here has the hots for the Uchiha traitor." Sai mocked, in order to hide his unease at the sudden display of emotion.  
"Seems like it! Hey 27, if you feel lonely, I'm sure Sai will help you in the bedroom. He swings both ways you know."  
"Shut up, wanker", Sai snarled playfully. "I could always do you, I'm sure you'd enjoy it."  
Naruto exploded into the middle of their playfight. "NO, YOU SHUT UP! AND MY DAMN NAME IS NOT 27 BUT BLOODY NARUTO UZUMAKI! Is it so hard to fucking remember that, YOU BASTARDS?"

Naginata looked really distressed now and gestured at the silent Odachi. The dark-haired male appeared behind Naruto and with a swift blow to the back of his neck, he was out cold.  
"Such a strong reaction", Naginata breathed out, real wonder in her voice.  
Shuko just scratched his face. "Well, that could have gone better."  
"And I thought we had made progress. Naginata, what do you make of this situation?" Sai was uneasy about this whole situation. The conditioning should have turned him into an emotionless shell, much like he himself was. Yet Naruto had just miraculously returned to them, only because of a bunshin at that.  
"If it's as I fear, then we are in trouble and need to meet with Danzo-sama right away!", she hastily replied. All signs pointed to one thing. Naginata was sorry for not having caught it sooner and was hoping it wasn't too late yet. If Naruto's, no the trainee's mind had snapped in half, then they would have to deal with a psychotic ninja in the future… Him being a Jinchuuriki furthered the problem. That was something that might endanger them in the future if they couldn't rectify the problem. How was it possible that his emotions had returned to him?  
She still remembered how she had monitored him and assessed the progress on his mind.

_Naginata was actually starting to feel respect towards the boy. Naruto was a very kind person. She knew this from the first time she had visited him in his mind. Her specialty being mind communication and psychoanalysis were the reasons why she was entrusted with observing the trainees. This one though was special. He was older and more experienced than the other children she usually had to observe. That was why they had to keep him isolated for so long. Had she any deep emotions left, her heart would ache for him. Danzo-_ sama _had given them orders, so she would obey, but she hated leaving a poor soul lonely and broken like this._  
_As mind_ specialist _she knew how taxing that ordeal was. And when she went into his mind to comfort and teach him, she felt his despair. That was why she had to make a decision: The torture that he went through could be eased if he didn't remember his former friendships. He would turn_ into _a blank leaf, and thus wouldn't be constantly hurting anymore. Yes, those bonds would be lost, but he could form new ones. Otherwise, she feared, he might turn mad from the heartache. She really didn't want to destroy his bonds, that was very private and not for her to manipulate. But there was no other way!_  
_Besides, as Root ninja, he couldn't be tied to someone else. His loyalty had to be absolute._  
_Therefore, with a heavy heart, she went deep into his unconscious mind. When she found the red strands that visualized the bonds he shared with other people, she sighed. Shakily, she imagined a pair of scissors that promptly appeared in her hand._  
_As an orphan, he at least didn't have any family ties. Usually, those familial ties were the hardest to cut off, because they were so ingrained into the very being of a person, it was impossible to not leave traces. So she resigned herself to doing a quick cutting the strands loose and having Naruto, er 27, latch onto the next easiest target for emotional support._  
_As she tried to cut them, Naginata noticed there was something special about this person. His bonds just wouldn't break. They didn't consist of fabric, rather they were tough as steel. No matter how much she tried to, they wouldn't budge. So she did the only thing she could think of - confuse his mind and hide these bonds behind a veil. Now they weren't truly gone, but at least he wouldn't go through painful memories with them until he somehow gained access to them. Which, in her estimation, might never happen or take at least a few years._  
She had not expected the bunshin training to undo all of that in a matter of seconds, otherwise, she would have consulted with the others first. Now, she hoped fervently that her foolishness wouldn't be the reason for him to break.

As camly as possible, she explained the dilemma to her master. "So really his conscious and unconscious mind are battling for dominance. They are not in harmony anymore, thus making him unpredictable and volatile. After conditioning his subconscious for so long, his subconscious strategy for survival is apathy. Just the opposite of his former persona, who was putting friendship above all else. I don't know how to reconcile the two of them. I recommend keeping him asleep until we find a solution, Danzo-sama." Naginata bowed as she finished her report.  
Danzo was pacing in his office. Naginata was alarmed: When he was in such a mood, that never did bode well…

* * *

Danzo knew that drastic measures had to be taken. This just couldn't go on. According to the reports, 27 was on his way to form a split personality in order to accommodate his subconscious response. He was programmed to be emotionless, but his conscious mind was actually fighting for dominance every waking moment. And it was winning, as well! That just wouldn't do! A tool was to have no will of its own, it had to serve and take pleasure in doing so. Since Danzo had no way of ensuring that the unconscious mind was the one dominating at all times, he had to take action:  
He had to make the blond boy willing to lose his emotions. So far torture had not led him to abandon the needless feelings. Therefore, it wasn't recommendable to continue this route. Not if he wanted a functioning ninja as a result. Still, he had to make Naruto want to turn into 27 permanently, want to lose his emotions. If not because he couldn't bare them, then maybe for someone else's sake? Indeed, that was a perfect idea. This was the way to get both sides in his mind to work in harmony again.

* * *

Naruto woke up in a hospital bed and felt disoriented. Memories of the past weeks slammed into his mind. Mostly, he didn't understand what was going on. He knew he was in Danzo's grasp and that they had kept him isolated to ensure his willingness. And it had almost worked, too! He didn't remember all that much from his time in hell, and he was glad for it. He also realized that he was in danger. Danzo obviously did not have his well being at heart. So he needed to get away, fast. Then he noticed that his chakra was still sealed. Fat chance at getting away from a super secret hideout with an army of crazy emotionless killers to keep him.  
Swallowing, Naruto resigned himself to his fate. At least he was himself again, not a tool and not loyal to that asshole Dan- "ARGH!" He screamed as pain rushed through his body like poison in his bloodstream. 'Damn blood seal', he had almost forgotten it!

At once, the door was opened and in strolled the devil: Danzo himself wanted to pay his humble self a visit. What a pleasant surprise. Naruto wanted to curse his ass to hell and back, but he realized that that might be cumbersome. If he needed to become a great actor to get away, he would do just that.  
"Danzo-sama", he even bowed his head for show. It was surprisingly easy to follow his subconscious wish to submit to Danzo.  
Danzo seemed pleased at this show of deference. "How are you feeling?"  
_'Like shit._ \- A tool's wellbeing is unimportant.' He settled for something in between. "Better."  
"That is good to hear, Naruto."  
Said ninja's head shot up at this, eyes wide. 'Shit, I'm exposed -Danzo cares for me? - Of course he does, I'm his precious tool. Damn, my head has been screwed with.'  
"Yes, I know that 27 isn't in charge currently. Don't be surprised, Naruto. You are quite easy to read. Though the respect is appreciated."  
"So what do you want then? I'm not your broken tool, as you know." 'Not yet. But damn close...'  
"Indeed and I am happy about that."  
He was surprised and definitely confused. "Was that not why you tortured me for weeks in isolation? To break me?"  
Danzo shook his head and met his gaze evenly. "I never wanted to break you. You just had to learn how to control your emotions."  
Naruto laughed at that. "By turning me into an empty zombie? You have to be kidding me."  
"Perhaps it was not the best procedure I admit. But you were also a special case."  
"What do you mean?"  
"You are more strong-willed than other recruits. More set in your ways, too. Therefore, we had to go a bit further to make you understand our ideals."  
"Yeah, well. You might consider that in the future because obviously, it didn't work." And Naruto was happy about that. He didn't want to give Danzo the satisfaction of breaking him. No, he had to stay focused on his goals and not lose himself.  
"Obviously." Danzo seemed amused, but Naruto couldn't figure out why. Danzo continued. "I think it is time to change the approach, wouldn't you agree?" Naruto just tilted his head, grudgingly curious about what he had to propose.  
"Let's strike a deal here, Naruto. If you become a loyal and obedient shinobi for me, if you agree to give the training your all and abandon your emotions, in favor of becoming the best shinobi you can be; if you do that then I will assist you in bringing Sasuke Uchiha back to Konoha. You will be placed on missions where you can retrieve information on Orochimaru. Additionally, I will make sure that he is not marked as missing-nin. Otherwise, he will be branded as a traitor soon enough and won't be welcomed back here. He would face prison or execution on the run. However, with my support, he will be granted immunity for the time being and I will let him enter Root upon his return. You just need to become my willing tool, and I will help you reach your goal. What do you say?"  
Naruto swallowed. Danzo was a scheming-! - his thoughts were cut off by pain. He took a deep breath. This deal was incredible good. How else could he hope to bring Sasuke back? How else would the village accept his return? It was uncanny how well Danzo knew his wishes, but at least the decision was easy.  
Naruto shouldn't agree to this, if he wanted to stay himself, to retain his personality. On the other hand, he might not be able to endure this life with his feelings intact. All the trauma and hurt he had gone through in the last months, ever since Sasuke had abandoned him. No, actually before that, when Jiji had died. Ever since then he was feeling so much pain and sorrow in his heart. Without those to hurt him, to distract him, he would definitely be better off. If training the last weeks was anything to go by, then he was in for another round in hell... And then when the missions finally started, well, he didn't want to think about that just yet.  
Was it not better to go through his ordeal here at Root with a purpose? _To get something in return for his suffering?_ He hated Danzo for it, but there was nothing he could do to change his situation.  
"Deal," was all he managed to grit out before the pain was too much and he succumbed to darkness.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: The end of innocence
> 
> Little Itachi teaser there! He finally appears! ;) Sorry for making his part so short. He will appear again soon though.
> 
> Tell me what you think? And what would you like to read in the future?
> 
> -  
> oh and I changed the formatting. What do you think? Is it better?


	7. Initiation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto's initiation mission!

Hello my dear readers,  
thank you for your patience, I am incredibly sorry for the long wait. I have no excuses, and I will definitely not repeat such a long wait. I am incredibly determined to finish the whole story and I love what I have plotted for the grand finale!  
If you're an old reader, please min that I updated chapter 4 as well, previously there was a mistake and it was completely the same as chapter 3 so I corrected it and you get two new chapters! Yay me being stupid;D  
Sorry again and I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 6

Initiation

Naruto accepted the scroll Danzo handed him. "You have five days to carry out the mission and return to base. Dismissed."  
He nodded. "Yes, Danzo-sama." Calmly, he walked out the office and to the weaponry. He needed to stock for his first mission. Finally, the day he had awaited with excitement and dread equally had arrived. It was time for his initiation.  
As he packed rations, kunai and shuriken in the various pouches on his body, he reflected upon the last twelve months of training he had gone through. The training was brutal, yet undeniably effective.  
Chakra control? Emotional control? Taijutsu, an actual style and not just sloppy academy stances? An abundance of jutsu of all elemental natures? Sealing? Check to all of them. He had even learned the basics of Kenjutsu and was undeniably skilled with his tanto. In the field you needed to be prepared for any situation, after all. The only thing that Naruto hadn't managed at this point was the Kyuubi's chakra. That was actually a sore topic for him and Danzo both.  
After many, many sessions meditating with Naginata, he had finally managed to achieve a perfectly rational state of mind. It was called "the cold heart" and was primarily developed to be used by shinobi who had to deal with difficult, emotionally straining missions. Actually, this was the closest Naruto ever came to feeling like a tool since striking the deal with Danzo-sama. In this state of mind, everything became a clear, precise game of chess. Black and white. Simple.  
However, there was a distinct difference to being broken: Unlike the state that Danzo-sama expected to torture him into, this was only temporary. So he didn't lose his feelings per se, he could be the perfect tool for a time. In this state of mind, he had tried to reason with his greatest enemy, the Kyuubi. Well, let's just say this hadn't gone too well. The fox wasn't open to any sort of negotiation about volunteering any of his power. That meant that if Naruto wanted to use the demon's powers, he had to endure all the emotional stress that came with the package. The hate, the rage and need to destroy and the overwhelming threat of having the Kyuubi take over were all things he had learned to endure. With lots of training together with Kinoe, the wood user, he was able to control up to three tails worth of chakra for about five minutes now. It wasn't optimal, but more than ever before and he was optimistic that with more training he could tackle up to five tails. Besides, he had other skills to make him dangerous, leaning to the Kyuubi for support would hopefully not be necessary all that soon.

Naruto looked at the scroll he had received earlier. It was a two-day-travel from Konoha, where a few former Konoha shinobi had established a new base as missing nins. So they had abandoned the village. No surprise that Danzo-sama wanted them all dead, no exceptions. The law stated that as a civilian you were free to move around the country, but the moment you accepted the headband, you were the property of Konoha. And it made sense, after all, shinobi carried out missions and had information about the inner workings of the city. Even if they never were to outright go against the village, their information was dangerous in the enemy's hands.  
Naruto wasn't stupid though, nor naive. This was a message from Danzo-sama to him. If he didn't comply, this same destiny would befall his former teammate. And Danzo did not make idle threats, he always carried them out. So Naruto knew, he had to succeed at all costs.

Naruto was standing in the sun, unmoving, his face behind the blank mask relaxed as it hadn't been in over a year. The sun danced behind his eyelids and a soft breeze went through his hair. How he had missed this! He had told himself that he didn't need any sentimental nature crap to be happy, but to feel the air, the sunshine, to hear birds, it was a manifestation of freedom. So long he had gone without it, and now he couldn't help letting the silent tears fall. Yes, the training had improved his skills and he had gone a long way from the obnoxious kid he had been. But to sacrifice this freedom again? Naruto would do anything to not let it come to that again! He would complete the mission without fail and then the outside world would no longer be taken from him.

He enjoyed the travel through the forest, deeply connected to nature and a new kind of bliss sporting every single step. Eventually, after two days of travel, this freedom came to an end as Naruto arrived at the target area. He needed to focus on his orders now. Danzo-sama had let him go alone on this mission. On one hand that spoke for trust - the trust that Naruto would not cross Danzo-sama. The old man knew that he was too dependant on their agreement. On the hand, it also meant that no one would come to help him. He needed to battle his demons himself. His skills would be no problem, all his training had seen to that. Speaking in terms of pure strength at Root, Naruto placed top ten at least, maybe higher, but he hadn't fought all the members yet. In Kyuubi mode, however, no one could match him on their own. Since there were enough of them though, he was never a real danger to them anyway. Not even the Kyuubi could occupy all of them at once. Especially Kinoe was great at handling the demon, which was great for training and yet upsetting at the same time. Naruto didn't like being bested at all. The ambition he had always felt inside him had grown together with his skills. Some things simply never changed...

Naruto was hiding on one of the trees one hundred meters away from the hideout. If you could even call it that. Yes, they had placed seals around the perimeter. But first of all, they weren't anything to brag about and secondly they didn't even think to conceal their chakra signatures. Not to mention that their hideout was in plain sight, instead of underground. Them being missing-nins, he had definitely expected more foresight from them. Oh well. He sighed, it was time to get to work.  
He settled in a comfortable position and breathed in evenly. It was time to test the boundaries of the cold heart. After the countless times he had practiced getting into this state, it came easily. One last look at the mission scroll to confirm his orders, then he burned it with a small fire jutsu. His secondary affinities were water and earth, but he could still use jutsu for all elements, which was very good in this case. The targets were around a dozen rogue members of the Kawa clan who had settled here a few years prior. Why Danzo wanted them gone now of all times, he didn't know. Not that it mattered. Kill the adults. Take any children below age 10 to Root. 27 felt all the emotions slip from him. It was perfectly easy to follow through with the orders. Now, he truly was ready for his initiation.

Easy as breathing he cut down the first shinobi. The second never even saw him coming before a sharp kunai sliced through his throat. The guards were down, now 27 could deactivate the security seals. Quickly he took out some chakra induced ink and added a few symbols to the seal already existing on the tree before him. He spread out his senses to locate the next seal foundation, ran over and modified the seal again.  
Just as he finished the third and last seal modification, he felt a presence behind him. He whirled around just evading a kunai aimed at his head. He cursed inwardly. He had been sure that all the other shinobi were inside the hideout. Oh well, if one was alarmed by his presence, it might be best to kill them off fast, without caution, rather than quietly. Faster than his opponent could blink, he had aimed pure, raw wind chakra at the man. Pieces of him and the tree behind flew through the air after making contact with his destructive chakra.  
He made his way it into the large, traditional cottage. One shinobi after another fell to his hands. It was so easy to end their lives, 27 was quite astounded.  
Panicked cries carried to his ear. As he made way to their origin, he found a woman hugging a crying child close and a female toddler was hiding behind her, clinging to her back. The girl couldn't have been older than four and cried out as she saw him appear in front of her mother.  
"Please spare us!", the woman sobbed. "We haven't done anything to break the deal!"  
27 didn't have any information on a deal. What he did have were orders to kill her, the children would become part of Root. "You will die. If you come with me, you will spare your children the trauma of seeing you die. It is your decision."  
One second she closed her eyes. He could see how she closed off her heart and came to a decision. Nodding, she got up, hugging the infant close one more time and kissing the top of his head. Then, she turned to the girl. "I love you, Mira, you and your brother are my everything. Never forget this, I will be with you every step of the way. Please take care of your brother." The child accepted the baby reluctantly and cried as her mother followed 27 out of the room. Behind the door, the last sounds the young mother heard were the desperate wails of her daughter and infant boy.

Naruto cut off the head and placed it in yet another storage seal. Thirteen dead. He swallowed and concentrated on his breath. It wasn't time to get out of his trance yet. He still needed to deal with the kids. The young girl froze up when he entered again. Fear was written all over her face and she clutched the now awake baby close. "I will not hurt you."  
"Go away! Please!", she cried. As he drew closer their voices got louder and more desperate. "Be strong for your little brother, Mira." He had remembered the name of the child and hoped it would ease her somewhat. It didn't. So he drew out a syringe for that very purpose, labeled with the correct age group for her and drugged her. He cursed fate that there were no transport seals for the living. Objects, heads, corpses, all those were transportable in a comfortable way. In simple sealing scrolls. But living, breathing beings never stayed alive for long though such transportation. Damn. Even worse, drugging an infant wasn't recommended. That meant the sobbing child wouldn't calm as easily as his sister. So 27 did the only thing he could think of, he henged into the young mother whose very head was secured in his scroll. With the baby in his arms, the other tied to his back, he walked through the compound. He was searching for two things: Food appropriate for children and secret scrolls.

Back on the way to Konoha, after running for several hours, he allowed himself to slip out of the trance. The first thing Naruto did was throw up. He was convulsing from disgust. That was an after effect on the cold heart state - while the emotions were turned off during the mission, when they came back at once they were quite overwhelming. The awakening was never pleasant, but this time it was almost unbearable. He had made it half the distance back to Konoha. Just then it had dawned on him that he should probably snap out of his trance before he got back to the village. He didn't want to be surrounded by Danzo-sama and Root when he dealt with the consequences. That meant, he now had one day to come to terms with what he had just done. What he would do more of in the future. And here he thought he had experienced self-loathing before…

Killing them all had come so easily to him. Yes, it was for the good of the village. But seriously, it wasn't like they had been a great threat to them. And he doubted that whatever information they had on the village was that detrimental. Maybe it was because of the jutsu scrolls he had retrieved? The Kawas had been an unimportant clan with an affinity for water chakra. Nothing special, other than that they specialized in healing jutsu. Still, modern medical jutsu were even more effective and didn't count on the medic-nin using water chakra, but rather the green healing chakra. So that wasn't the reason either. What then? Did they have shit on Danzo-sama? Did they know something that made them a danger? He doubted it. If that were the case they wouldn't have gotten out the village walls… He was still pondering upon it when the child stirred. Mira. The girl who had just lost her whole family, save her brother. The poor girl was now condemned to a harsh life at Root. His eyes widened! Of course! It had been for the children, not for any scrolls or secrets! Danzo-sama wanted to integrate them into his forces! Did they have some kind of bloodline limit he didn't know about? Then again, while fighting no one from Kawa had used any special techniques…  
He approached the waking girl and transformed back into himself. As soon as she spotted him, she shook with fear. "Eat something, I promise it is not poisoned." She didn't move and he sighed. He hadn't expected anything less.

A little later, when the girl and baby were both asleep, Naruto leaned back and relaxed a little. The mission was almost over, he was almost back at… his family? Home? Had Root become his home now? After having been a part of the organization he could say that yes, the other shinobi had grown close to him, closer than he had expected them to honestly. He even held a grudging respect for Danzo-sama. After their deal, there had been less tension between them. Moreover, he didn't want to risk splitting his personality by fighting his subconscious response to the man. Since he had been placed in his care anyway, it didn't make much sense to be disobedient and moping all the time. He was happy to train and Danzo-sama liked seeing his progress.  
Now, with the initiation almost done, he was anticipating going on missions to bring Sasuke back. Had Orochimaru trained him well? What was the snake's deal anyway, he wondered. Not one second he believed that that bastard trained Sasuke out of the goodness of his heart. Probably to experiment on the last Uchiha or something… He was infamous for his human experiments after all. After what he had heard of Kinoe, anything was possible and that seriously worried him. Away from Orochimaru and into Danzo-sama's arms - that was what he wanted Sasuke to do. Was it actually a better fate, though? 'Let me be selfish for once, my fate would definitely be better with Sasuke by my side.'  
He looked over at the two children. They would fit right in, in just a few years they would be so emotionally deprived that Danzo-sama's every whim would be their only concern. Growing up to be a tool… Could he live with delivering them? To let them suffer? Maybe it was better to just kill them now instead of taking them back. Then again, Danzo-sama would consider his mission failed and he would not be able to go after Sasuke or do much of anything. Maybe they'd put him back in isolation? Unconsciously his body started to shake. The torture he went through still bothered him and it was likely he'd never really overcome the trauma. As much as he hated to think of consequences, the baby was more important than his comfort.  
He had thought about hiding the baby somewhere. Such a small child at its most vulnerable state was not fit to go through shinobi training at all and there was a chance that he could grow up in a loving foster family instead. Then what about the older sibling? Right now they had each other to support one another. If he put the baby somewhere else, the older sister might despair and Naruto would be in danger if she told Danzo-sama about him hiding her brother. Why did this have to be so difficult? How come he still had enough morals to care about a stranger's baby? That was seriously hindering him...  
Suddenly, a dark-clad figure dropped from a branch above and landed in front of Naruto, interrupting his thoughts. Naruto's eyes widened and he shifted his weight ever so slightly, now armed. He was ready to counter any attack the unknown ninja might throw at him.

 

* * *

 

Itachi was returning from one of his routine reports to the Hokage about Akatsuki's plans when he noticed a camp not too far from him. Usually, he would avoid running into other people while on missions. Who was he deceiving, he generally avoided contact with anyone these days. So he couldn't understand the pull he felt towards that camp and why he actually followed it. A check of signatures told him of two small civilians and an Anbu level shinobi, judging by the skillfully masked chakra. Interesting... and possibly dangerous. Surely, it'd be better to continue on and ignore them. Itachi was not known for impulsive behavior, but since his talk with the doctor over a year ago, he did act a tiny bit more rashly occasionally. He would simply sate his curiosity and be on his way again. Kisame was currently busy at his favorite hot springs, so time wasn't an issue either. From above, hiding in the trees, he observed the scene below him.

When he saw that the two children were asleep, he decided to show himself. The other was suddenly tense. 'So he didn't notice me before I showed myself. Means his genjutsu skills are lacking.' That was reassuring since the other clearly wasn't a match for him.  
The blond ninja wore a mask, just as he himself. "Who are you?" the other bit out angrily.  
Itachi did the Konoha hand signs for 'friend', which seemed to relieve some of the tension. A Konoha shinobi, as he had assumed...  
"You may call me crow", he offered. "What about you?" Was the other a new Anbu recruit? His mask didn't give anything away. But he did understand the Konoha signs, even though he wasn't wearing his forehead protector. Should the shinobi try to find information on him, to dig for records on a crow, he wouldn't find anything. At least not in the normal Anbu, so Itachi was safe to use that codename.  
"27", he replied without hesitation and immediately seemed to regret that slip-up. 'Very interesting, indeed', Itachi thought, intrigued now. He didn't know much about how Danzo ran his Root Anbu, but he had worked with them occasionally back then. Yet, he had never met one who was not emotionally mutilated by all the brainwashing. 'He didn't immediately try to kill me, a witness, that's different from what I know of Root... Interesting... He must be new', Itachi mused.  
He pointed at the children, sleeping near the fire. "What about them?"  
"Mission", the blonde replied curtly.  
Itachi had thought as much and nodded. When the other didn't tell him to leave, he turned to walk away himself. "Wait", he stopped in his tracks. "If you feel like it, you're welcome to set camp here. Fellow Konoha shinobi ought to look out for each other, right?" His voice was warm and surely he was smiling under his mask. Itachi could practically feel it. Foolish.  
Itachi was caught off guard, which in itself was astonishing. And here he thought he had seen it all! That ninja was strange. One of Danzo's and yet not a mindless tool. How very fascinating. He bowed his head and unsealed some food, before he sat back down a little closer this time. He offered some of his rations to the other, as his father had taught him to be polite was the first step to make someone lower their guard.  
"I'm good, thanks though."  
They sat in silence for some time. Itachi felt that the other was bothered by something. Deducing from the little information he had, he figured the mission must be to bring the children to Danzo. Itachi had always been called a genius, and though he never did like this stamp, his mind was undisputedly sharp.  
For some reason, he didn't want the blond ninja to feel so troubled, he could very well understand the pain that came with difficult missions. He pondered on what to say without offending the other before he stated. "It is a harsh fate."  
The ninja looked up as if surprised by his words. But the look was gone in an instant, replaced by distrust. Itachi didn't like that hardened look in those sky blue eyes. "I have worked for Danzo-sama before", he explained. "So it is quite obvious what awaits them."  
When he said Danzo's name, he expected the blond ninja to go on defense, to see a hard look in his eyes. But Itachi was startled again when the ninja responded:  
"Should I save the younger one and leave the other to her fate? Is that not cruel? But to condemn them both isn't right either!"  
The aching desperation in the boy's, not yet man, voice saddened Itachi. So the other really did still have some morals left. 'He must be a strong-willed to pull through, to keep part of himself hidden from the old schemer', he decided the blond needed some encouragement. "Perhaps. But sometimes older siblings sacrifice themselves for their younger siblings, rather than sharing the pain."  
He took in Itachi's words for a minute."Speak from experience?"  
For a second, Itachi's heart gave out. Could he know? Or was he just that easy to read? "Does it matter?", he replied coldly.  
"I suppose not."  
They sat in silence again and Itachi breathed in deeply. "I can help", he finally admitted. And he wanted to help. Being shinobi wasn't an easy life. And even less so when one didn't have the chance to decide for themselves if they wanted it. A baby growing up as Danzo's zombie, emotionless, joyless, just didn't sit right with him. Besides, he still did have a grudge against that man. As much as he had carried out the act, it had been on Danzo's order.  
"How so?", the blond asked curiously and a little weary.  
"I can take the girl's memories of her little brother. Then there would be no traces left for Danzo to explore."  
"And the baby truly would be safe."  
"As would you."  
After a second of hesitation, the blond ninja answered. "And how would you go about that?", the suspicion was fully palpable now.  
"I'm a genjutsu specialist." Itachi wasn't sure how to use the Sharingan without alarming the other yet. Itachi Uchiha was an infamous name and his face that of an alleged traitor. Should his identity be revealed, he would have to kill his counterpart. And strangely, he found he didn't want that ending.

 

* * *

 

Naruto was more than a little weary. This was his initiation test, so an unknown shinobi suddenly appearing and aiding him in cheating Danzo-sama, that just oozed with suspicion. Still, he might have a chance to help the baby boy. What would Danzo-sama do to him, should he ever find out?  
He decided that whatever punishment Danzo-sama would have him under was better than repenting for not having saved an innocent soul. Saving the child was somewhat like saving his own soul, he felt. After all, this act of kindness showed that he was still himself and defying his fate in the tiny way he could. He just had to do this!  
Naruto went over to the girl and looked questioningly at his unknown savior. Crow really did look like a crow, clad in all black, long black hair soft like feathers. At Root, the shinobi could wear whatever they wanted, as long as they wore the standard red and black jackets on top. Crow didn't wear an Anbu uniform, it was all his own style with some weird fishnet top that seemed vaguely familiar.  
He couldn't help but wonder: Was crow just a helping hand or would he turn on him? He didn't feel any ill intent from him, but his time at Root had definitely made him untrusting by nature.  
"How would you trap her in the genjutsu to delete her memories? Does she need to be awake?" Naruto was curious how this would go about. Genjutsu wasn't his forte at all, but it was interesting to hear about the possibilities of those abilities. The only deeper exposure he had had to the field had been back with Sasuke... No, he didn't want to think about this now.  
"Yes, please wake her up. It's quite easy, I just need to look into her eyes."  
Naruto stiffened for a millisecond, then he was in action. Already his trusted tanto in his hand, he held it at the other's throat the blink of an eye later. He untied the man's mask and cursed inwardly when the face was revealed. Out of all people!  
"Itachi Uchiha", he all but snarled. "I should have known!"

 

* * *

 

Woohooo -finally they meet! please don't hate me for the comes next? What do you think? Let me know! :D


	8. Enigma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto never expected to meet Itachi Uchiha during his initiation mission!

Chapter 7

_Enigma_

Last time:

_Naruto was a little weary. This was his initiation test, an unknown shinobi suddenly appearing and aiding him in cheating Danzo-sama, that just oozed with suspicion. Still, he might have a chance to help the baby boy. What would Danzo-sama do to him, should he ever find out?_

_He decided that whatever punishment Danzo-sama would have him under was better than repenting for not having saved an innocent soul._

_Naruto went over to the girl and looked questioningly at his unknown savior. Crow really did look like a crow, clad in all black, long black hair soft like feathers. At Root, the shinobi could wear whatever they wanted, as long as they wore the standard red and black jackets on top. Crow didn't wear an Anbu uniform, it was all his own style. He couldn't help but wonder: Was crow just a helping hand or would he turn on him? He didn't feel any ill intent, but his time at Root had definitely made him untrusting by nature._

_"_ _How would you trap her in the genjutsu to delete her memories? Does she need to be awake?"_

_"_ _Yes, I need to look into her eyes."_

_Naruto stiffened for a millisecond, then he was in action. His tanto already in his hand, he held it at the other's throat the blink of an eye later. He untied the man's mask and cursed inwardly when the face was revealed. Out of all people!_

_"_ _Itachi Uchiha", he all but snarled. "I should have known!"_

 

"It seems we both concealed our true identities, _Naruto Uzumaki_ ", the man retorted. So it was true! The Uchiha traitor himself had been conversing with him the past half hour. He cursed himself for not realizing this sooner.

"Is this a plot to get the Kyuubi then?", he snapped. First time out of the hideout and already found by Akatsuki, amazing accomplishment truly...

But Itachi made no move to free himself from Naruto's hold. In fact, he remained calm, breathing evenly. Strange. Stranger still the words he uttered. "No, I am not here because of you. In fact I only figured out your identity when you recognised me, Naruto. That little information on the genjutsu should not have given away my identity, unless you already knew me or a Sharingan user closely beforehand. Oh, and your blond hair is a give away, too. You might want to use a henge on that the next time." Itachi's voice sounded different than just before. Colder, more closed off, they almost felt seemed like two different people. His face remained the stony mask the ninja was infamous for. Naruto didn't ponder on it.

Itachi considered him for a moment. "You have changed from the last time I saw you."

"I have. Mainly, taking the Kyuubi should provide quite the challenge for you this time."

The man sighted at that, a bit tiredly. "The Kyuubi is of no concern to me." Naruto raised an eyebrow, he couldn't trust his ears apparently.

"What do you want then?" The tanto at Itachi's throat drew a little blood, not fazing the man in the slightest.

"I thought we had established that I wished to help the young girl and her younger brother." His voice sounded a little softer, was he trying to fool him? Even Naruto wasn't that naive!

"Indeed, with your cursed eyes it would be an easy feat to entice her into a potent genjutsu, isn't that right. How very kind of you Uchiha, to take on such a small challenge despite your skills." This man, this devil, was the reason why Sasuke felt the need to train and carry out his revenge. This man had caused despair and destruction and he had the nerve to tell him he wanted to save this baby boy? For no reward, no gain, but purely from the good of his heart? Ha! Was Naruto supposed to believe that? The younger ninja laughed harshly, all traces from their earlier camaraderie was gone now.

"I promise you, I have no hidden agenda, and this is no trick. I merely delete the girl's memories and then I will be on my way." Itachi looked imploringly at him and Naruto wanted to search the truth of his gaze but he dared not meet the charcoal black irises directly. He was weak against genjutsu, Itachi's very specialty.

"Next thing I know is you tell me to look into your eyes and see your sincerity for myself I bet!"

Itachi's voice seemed amused. "You should never look an Uchiha in the eyes."

Naruto was torn. On one side he was at least certain that Itachi didn't want to sell him out to Danzo. On the other side, he was the vilest creature he could think of, a kinslayer, someone who hadn't even spared innocent children just to prove a point. And Naruto couldn't fathom what point he had wanted to bring across anyhow.

Yet his instincts strangely told him to trust him. There was also the strange mystery of their conversation earlier. He had seemed bitter about Danzo-sama and he had related to the small kid saving her brother. Sacrificing themselves… very, very strange. He would have to get to the bottom of this later. In the meantime: Naruto couldn't let this opportunity go to waste. If it was a ploy, he'd manage somehow.

He hesitated, then put his tanto away again. "You better not try anything", he warned. I'll give you a chance. But the wellbeing of Mira had better not be compromised by any of your actions."

Itachi smiled warmly then. Naruto almost gasped. Itachi looked… stunning. This warm, kind response fit him way better than the cold demeanor he had displayed before. It was then that Naruto wondered how the genius had become a traitor, how he had turned into a cruel kin slayer. Sasuke had once told him a story about a loving older brother who cherished his younger sibling with all he had. An older brother who stood his ground against a strict father. How had his personality twisted 180 degrees? And seemingly now he had turned back again, into a helping hand in a desperate situation... The last year had turned Naruto into a more suspicious person and yet... Naruto felt embarrassed at this realization, but he wanted to trust Itachi and let him help. Let him prove he is not the demon everyone expected. To see there was still good in him.

Which mask was the real one? Did Itachi himself know? Or was he just as lost as Naruto felt?

When they woke the scared girl, Naruto nodded at Itachi. Before she could start screaming and wake her brother in the process, Itachi's eyes were spinning in familiar red. From the side, he watched mesmerized as Itachi's eyes started spinning and twirling and twisting and went further, beyond the familiar three tomoe Sharingan that Sasuke owned. Itachi's eyes were far different. Shapes with triangles and edges appeared in his eyes. Naruto had never seen something so breathtakingly beautiful and dreadful before. A kaleidoscope shone brightly and the girl collapsed in Itachi's arms. Naruto cleared his throat trying to shake out of his stupor. "She will not remember her brother? What about the murder of her clan?"

"I didn't remove everything. Danzo expects a traumatized child and he will get one. But this genjutsu will strengthen over time and dull her pain. And it can be broken by a user of the Sharingan. So should she ever see her brother again, someone could free her."

"Someone? Not you?"

"I didn't think you'd trust me near her again."

There was a short pause. Quietly, Naruto startled the other. "I might", he said and the words surprised Naruto himself. Yet he actually meant them.

"I should go now."

"That might be for the best." Naruto watched as the other dissolved into crows. "Thank you", he whispered before the last bird disappeared. Finally, he released a shuddering breath and sank to his knees.

* * *

Naruto had left the baby at the last village he had traveled through before Konoha. He had spied on a small family and had decided that they seemed loving and caring. He just hoped they would take in the small package left at their doorstep. But it wasn't like he could just talk to them and tell them the truth about the boy. He had noticed then that he didn't even know what the baby's name was. But he wanted to have that knowledge if he ever wanted to reunite the siblings. So he drew up his sealing materials and named the small boy. 'Nozomi' he called him, in hope of a better future, far away from the shinobi life. It had been a bit off his route to the leaf, but that was the least problematic part of this whole plan. The most problematic being a certain Uchiha that hadn't left his mind once.

Naruto was completely and utterly confused. How could one small encounter throw about everything he thought he knew? How could one mission stir up that many feelings in him? He had prided himself on suppressing his emotions, on staying calm and most of all rational. It had been pounded into his head, putting the mission first and not his squad mates. Abandoning morals for finishing a mission. And yet… even though he had trained for this, Itachi Uchiha had changed him. While the obnoxious Naruto would never return, the irrational, overly emotional one certainly had. And if this didn't stop soon, if he couldn't pick up his mask, others would surely notice.

But he couldn't stop the thoughts in his head. What was Itachi really up to? For a rogue ninja and Akatsuki member too, he seemed way too uninterested in the Kyuubi. One could argue that maybe he just didn't prepare to attack. That Naruto had become so strong and skilled that even the Uchiha prodigy couldn't match him. Ha. He wished! Genjutsu had always been his weak point while the Uchiha didn't have one.

And as much as Naruto wanted to accept that explanation because it was easy and wouldn't have his head hurting and because then Sasuke's defection would still be understandable. It was just a ridiculous notion. He wished the situation were an easy one, black and white. Unfortunately, Naruto seldom got what he wished for. Shinobi lived in a world of grey. Itachi Uchiha was a cold-hearted murderer. Then again, so was Naruto now. He had lost his innocence with the Kawa clan and so it was a little hypocritical. But you didn't kill your family and friends. You didn't abandon your home for some evil organization with plans of world domination together with other missing-nin. And still, the kindness in Itachi's eyes, the warm smile, it just didn't add up. He wasn't like he had expected him to be, at all.

So he needed to get to the bottom of this enigma. And he would. He would search every record, he would keep out an ear for the other's movements and figure out what was going on. That, he swore to himself.

But first, he needed to calm down and present himself as a tool. 27 had to be back and report to Danzo-sama about the completed mission. He sat down on his knees and went through the breathing exercises he knew by heart, trying to achieve the very state he had just come out of a few hours prior... Abuse of the cold heart could fuck up one's brain, but hey: it was better than accidentally slipping up and letting Danzo see that there was still defiance in him. The side that was anything more than the perfectly obedient tool. The side, which wasn't broken nor obedient, but that followed his very own path.

* * *

As Itachi tried to sleep that night, he knew this would not be so easily accomplished. His brother's teammate had surprised him yet again. The first time they had met, he had been impressed by the loyalty and affection the blond had shown towards his brother. And to see that his brother returned the feelings in his own hard-bitten way had been even more astonishing. They were so different in character, it made Itachi truly happy to see that his brother had overcome the trauma of the fateful night both their lives changed. That Sasuke had created new bonds and was carrying on. To be true, while he did want Sasuke to be strong, the price for the Mangekyo's power was something that still haunted him and would forever do so. And with good reason. He dared say that whoever sacrificed their most precious bond for power deserved the suffering it brought about.

Itachi had resigned himself to his unpleasant fate. His brother would one day come to finally end his suffering. But somehow on that clearing today, the blond teenager had caught him off guard. Somehow, a tiny piece of the wall around his heart broke and made him... feel. Get to him.

This was the person, apart from Sasuke, who had the most reason to distrust him. He, the infamous Itachi Uchiha hunted Jinchuuriki for Akatsuki. The world knew this. And what did that fool, that loyal leaf shinobi do? Trust Itachi and let down his guard! By all means, working for Danzo, and he still wondered how on earth that had happened, working for that disgusting schemer should only have left an empty shell. While Naruto had changed, he was by no means empty or emotionless. Else he would not have gone to such lengths to rescue one little baby boy he didn't have any ties to. Itachi was glad Naruto had decided to trust him, though. No child should be deprived of a happy life to be turned into a weapon, just to be discarded at the owner's convenience. To have outlived one's usefulness was one of the worst things that could happen to a tool. He spoke from experience here. While he still loved the leaf, he couldn't help the regretful feelings every time he returned for his reports. His life was a walking nightmare and each return reminded him of just how much had been taken from him. Or rather how much he had taken, himself. No use to get upset about it now. Nothing would ever change and soon enough he could lay down to rest. Now he knew that Sasuke was in good hands. Until his plans were complete, he could hold out. Hopefully, Sasuke would come to him, before his sickness killed him for good. Just one more time, Itachi wanted to be useful and die with a meaning.

* * *

 

That evening in the plenum at Root HQ was the first time in a year that Naruto entered the stage. Under better circumstances this time, though. He knelt in front of Danzo-sama.

"You may rise, shinobi, from now on you shall be called Kama."

"Thank you, Danzo-sama."

Naruto accepted the Root mask Danzo-sama help out. He looked at it, trying to figure out what animal it was. Unfortunately, Naruto never did appreciate fine art all that much and so he wasn't good at reading it, either. There were whiskers, but it didn't seem to be a fox. That was a relief. He didn't want his identity to be too obvious, after all.

Danzo-sama noticed his musings and enlightened him. "Your mask is a weasel." Naruto fought the urge to facepalm and stay unmoving. Destiny was really out for him, it seemed. Danzo didn't look at him again and left the shinobi for the night.

Relieved, Naruto released the breath he had been holding this entire time. With Danzo gone, he could finally relax and be himself again. He joined the other Root shinobi off stage and accepted the many quiet congratulations he got from both trainees and experienced shinobi. Somehow in the past year, he had grown fond of a lot of them. And since they, even more so than him, struggled with accepting and showing emotions, it meant a lot.

He had gotten especially close to squad 2, the people that had trained him for the most part. Naginata had helped him tremendously with understanding and controlling his emotional responses. It was thanks to her that he wasn't a broken tool (for the most part), nor have a split personality. With her help, he had learned to accept his subconscious response and work around it, as well as learn the cold heart trance. So when he openly smiled at her, and the other members of Squad 2, seemingly happy and proud that he had indeed accomplished the mission and finished his initiation. It was Sai, the least emotional of the group, who patted his shoulder awkwardly. Odachi, the youngest, nodded once in his direction. For one as indifferent as he that meant a lot. Shuko, ever the party animal exclaimed loudly that they needed sake and then he shoved them all off into their room. Permanent squads lived together, so they were in each other's presence at all times. Surely Danzo-sama also did this for control purposes, but it was a luxury well appreciated. For the time being, Naruto was to stay with squad two and he was grateful for it. They were the closest companions he had here at Root. The only ones where he could be himself without pretending.

When they sat together, the first shot already downed, Naruto let down all the walls he had built up to face Danzo-sama and his excited smile crumpled like bread crust. Odachi immediately activated the privacy seals that the seal master from squad one, Sumi, had provided them with. Naruto silently wept, as his friends just sat there, sharing his sorrow. Naginata drew comforting circles on his back and Odachi took his hand.

"I killed them all. And the children were so young. It was so wrong to take away their parents.", he sobbed.

Sai's stoic mask vanished. Eyes wide, he shook Naruto. "Did you just say that there were _several children_? What did you do with them? If Danzo finds out, you'll be-"

"Let him explain himself, calmly", demanded Shuko, the joking manner all but gone.

Naruto showed his teeth. He hadn't meant to tell anyone. But at least he could trust this team.

He collected his thoughts for a little while before he spoke. "So the mission was to off a camp of missing-nin and to retrieve any scrolls and if children were present, I should take them too." It was silent in the room, they had wondered about his mission the past days. "When I arrived, there were 13 adults and two small children. Killing the adults was easy, almost too easy. I didn't even hesitate." His voice broke a little and he felt the agony all over again. "What kind of monster am I? Don't answer that. So I took the children, one was around four, the other still an infant. I figured if the infant grew up here, without memories of his parents, he would just break and so I found him a foster home instead." They watched as determination overshadowed his sorrow and were unsure what to say or think. He had gone against Danzo-sama on his initiation mission. This could have immense consequences should it ever be found out. And if he was found out, they would be punished for keeping his secret.

"What a mess", Shuko finally muttered.

Sai spoke next, voice filled with fierce defiance. "You did the right thing."

Naruto was surprised and looked, really looked at his friend. There was a glimmer of something in those dark eyes, the emptiness almost completely gone.

Naruto cleared his throat then. "I wondered if they weren't better off growing up together."

Sai laughed, a cluster of bitter and vile sounds. "Trust me, it is better this way." He swallowed as memories overcame him. "When I grew up, there was another boy, he was called Shin." He whispered the name suddenly there was hoarse emotion evident in him. "We were practically brothers, in all but blood. He was the one who helped me survive this hell. He would always encourage me and praised my drawings." A real smile lit up his face. "So with each other's help we rose through the ranks, we were well known as two strong shinobi, a good team. And I was happy to work for Root and to train and give my best. And then the day of the initiation came."

The other four swallowed when he stopped so abruptly. For Sai to break down like this, it was unheard of. If he lacked anything, it was emotions. But now they could see how it had come to this. "Our missions were quite similar: To kill the other." Sai was here, Shin wasn't. The results of the initiation test were clear.

Naruto fought back tears to no avail. It was horrible and so eye-opening. Danzo could be so cruel, he destroyed the people in his care and broke them to his will. This had to stop. It couldn't go on like this. He reached out to take Sai's hand but hesitated. Maybe his friend didn't want physical comfort now. Sai noticed and grasped his hand instead.

Naruto looked at him with determination. "He will pay for this. I promise you that." Already pain from the breaking of the loyalty seal flooded his being, but he would not budge. This wasn't alright, no Danzo would have to start treating his subordinates as humans, not killing machines at his disposal.

"Sorry, I need to go blow off some steam", Naruto excused himself. Poor training dummies, the beating of their lifetime awaited them.

* * *

"Naruto really is something else." Odachi's soft voice startled Shuko, before he smiled and shook his head.

"To still be himself after all this time. He deserves our respect. He is not a mere tool like we are, but is destined for something more." Odachi continued. Sometimes, the young raven-haired shinobi was surprisingly insightful.

"It's more that he just doesn't accept his destiny and goes out to make it himself," Shuko replied.

Naginata agreed wholeheartedly. Ever since she had walked into his mind all those months ago, she had known the same. "He stays true to himself and can't help but infect others with his fever. I feel like I want to support him, despite all the things I was taught, everything I believed in..."

"He is more worthy of your loyalty than Danzo-sama", Sai acknowledged.

"We grew up to support the village from the shadows." Odachi looked at them. "But Naruto doesn't belong here..."

"The shadows appear where the sun is", Naginata smiled and leaned back on her elbows. Naruto was the reason she was able to feel something more again. The others too, she knew, they were thinking for themselves and feeling more than just empty. Root had broken them, but maybe it wasn't too late for hope. Even if she stayed the same, at least she had a purpose now. One, she picked for herself. "To become a tool for the ninja, who refuses to be a weapon for others, I don't mind", she said, not noticing the wistful look on Sai's face.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: His name was Namikaze
> 
> What did you think of the first meeting of Itachi and Naruto? How do you feel about squad 2? I didn't want to make the OC part too big but I want to provide a few characters to make Root more realistic. So you will most likely get the back stories to a few Root shinobi in the future. Sai's mask finally broke! I just wanted to hug him while writing.
> 
> Also, all the names for Characters at Root are weapons, you can look them up if you want. There are exceptions of course, such as Kinoe (Yamato) whose name I just took from canon. I'm excited for the next chapter, we'll finally see Tsunade and Naruto's first meeting after training at Root!
> 
> As always, I'm happy to hear your thoughts, suggestions and critique! Have a nice week everyone!


	9. Uzumaki Namikaze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto finds out the truth about his legacy

Chapter 8

_Uzumaki Namikaze_

6 months ago, Root HQ

Squad 2 was sitting together in quiet peace, masks discarded to the side. After their charge, Naruto had snapped at them the day before about how ridiculous it was to hide their faces after four months of training together, they had decided to forego the masks.  
The outburst had been the reason for actually doing it, but they were all rather glad to stop wearing them outside of missions or summons, and they found it quite freeing. Even Sai liked the openness it brought. That blond ninja was really something else. He had refused to be only a number in their head and had wiggled himself into their hearts, as much as a Root Anbu could tolerate. There was something special about him, they noticed this. He was happy most of the time and didn't lose all feelings even with the psychological pressure that Danzo-sama put him under regularly. He stubbornly remained himself and they did respect that. What's more, he had changed them as well. Though Sai would never admit this, he finally felt somewhat alive again and he could even smile for real occasionally.

Naruto excitedly waved as he joined them on a bench at the side of the training hall.  
"Look! Sumi finally got around to explaining seals to me! They're amazing!"  
Shuko, ever the prankster, shunshined right behind Naruto to take a look at the scrolls in his hands and (mostly) to scare him a little. He was somewhat put down when that didn't get the reaction he had hoped for. The other ninja had finally gotten used to his teleportation skills it seemed. "Idiot, of course, it's amazing. Seriously that you just got that in your head now…"  
"Yeah, well at least I have an awesome teacher now. Sumi is so much nicer than you, Shuko-teme!"  
Shuko didn't answer, the young shinobi just squinted and took in the seals Naruto had brought with him.  
"What do you need those advanced seals for, idiot?"  
"They're my homework. I have to write about the effects and then change one component until the next time."  
"Seriously?"  
At Shuko exclamation Sai got up swiftly and rushed over. Naginata and Odachi in tow. "Let me see!", Sai took a quick look at them. "This is definitely advanced material. And this was your first lesson in sealing?"  
"Wow!", Naginata smiled. "You must really have a talent for sealing then!"  
Naruto blushed a little. "But it's not that advanced yet. We just went over the basics."  
"It's uncanny how dense you can be", Shuko shook his head. "You need to be able to accept praise just as well as critique. With us, you won't get much of the former so you better appreciate it while it lasts."  
"Sure. Um, thanks. I'm surprised myself that sealing comes naturally to me. I never expected it."  
"Well, who knows, maybe it runs in your family. May of us have a bloodline limit."  
"Oh? I didn't realize it", Naruto admitted. "Though. now that you mention it..."  
Sai just nodded. "Most of us here are from some prominent clan, orphans or not." Sai sounded bitter, and the other two kept their eyes locked on the floor. Naginata chimed in. "Danzo saw potential in you, that doesn't necessarily have to do with being the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki only. You don't know your parents, do you?"  
"I haven't the slightest clue…" Naruto didn't want to be upset about that. He tried really hard to hide it, but with Naginata in the group, his emotions were an open scroll. She hugged him. "It's alright. We don't know ours either. I just know I'm originally part of the Yamanaka clan, because of the mind jutsu I specialize in. And I'm not in contact with any of my former clan." Odachi stayed silent like always, feelings perfectly masked as always.  
"We're your family now. Who needs a clan when they get to be part of this top elite squad number two?" Naruto laughed at that. He was lucky she was there to keep him going.  
"Besides, it's not hopeless. I mean we might not know who exactly your parents were, but you're part of the Uzumaki clan. I mean that much is obvious. It also explains that you're good at sealing."  
"Hold on, hold on, Sai! Wait a minute! Did you just say Uzumaki clan?" Naruto couldn't believe his ears.  
"Yes."  
"So I actually have a clan?" Naruto got really quiet, his voice almost whispering.  
The others stayed silent and then Naginata found the courage to answer. She tried to be gentle. "What it means is that there used to be a strong clan of sealing masters from Uzushiogakure. They were allies to Konoha, mainly because members of the clan married to members of our prominent clans. Then, approximately 25 years ago, there was an attack on Uzushiogakure, lead by Iwa and Kumo. They didn't stand a chance and were annihilated." She took his shaking hands and stroked them comfortingly. "You are one of the last Uzumakis alive if not the last one. You could be from Konoha, where some members of the clan managed to flee to. Or you might have been taken from another village and put here."  
"Wait! That doesn't make sense. He is definitely from Konoha. After all the day the Kyuubi attacked was your birthday, right? So your parents must have died that very day. The Yondaime actually sealed the demon in you right after your parents died then..."  
"But how did he get his hands on you so fast? I mean it is uncanny how he got to you, how he would know that you were a fresh orphan…"  
"Wait a minute." It was the first time Odachi spoke and the others paid close attention. "Your main affinity is wind, is it not? Quite rare in Konoha."  
"Also, the Uzumakis were famous for their water jutsu", Shuko added quickly.  
"Yeah that's why the Rasengan is such a cool jutsu and not many can learn it!" Naruto laughed.  
"Well, the Yondaime invented that jutsu, did he not. And he actually had a knack for seals as well. He was the one to seal the Kyuubi in you after all and it takes serious skills to accomplish that..." Odachi let his words trail of. The others nodded. "Not to mention that you practically look like a carbon copy of him."  
Naruto's eyes widened, his mouth opened ever so slightly. He stood perfectly still, which was a stark contrast to the chaos of thoughts swirling in his head.  
"I think we broke him", Shuko coughed nervously.  
Sai just sighed. "It's not like that changes anything. But perhaps you get some closure from it."  
After a small eternity, Naruto's jaw tightened and his fists clenched. "No, you are right. This changes absolutely nothing. I just lost any respect I had for the Yondaime, the greatest Hokage to ever live." He spat the words out like bitter medicine. "To condemn his own child to such a fate. Hokages are seriously fucked up. I wonder if you need to be heartless to get the job or if it comes with the hat."  
"Now, now Naruto. Let's not forget the most awesome part of being a Jinchuuriki." Shuko started.  
"And what is that?", Naruto was still angry, he tried so hard to contain the thoughts, to calm down as he'd trained to, but it was hard. Very much so.  
"Well, we get to beat you up repeatedly and the next day you're as good as new. I'd call that a great benefit." Shuko winked at him and smirked. And with that, the tension broke and Naruto found himself laughing and crying at the same time. His team members, used to his strong emotional reactions, just stayed by his side. They would be there for him. After a short while, Naruto had calmed down significantly. "I will go meditate", he announced. The revelation changed nothing but his emotions didn't get that yet. He needed to be able to think clearly before he stumbled upon Danzo-sama, so he had no time to waste. "I'll see you later" and promptly, he was gone.

* * *

Naruto shook his head, trying to calm his thoughts. The revelation still hurt, even now, half a year later.  
Even now, it stung to think about how he had never been told about his parents. He wondered why neither Jiji, nor Tsunade, nor Jiraya had ever told him about it. He could understand that the village wasn't supposed to know. For safety reasons probably, so that Iwa didn't target him while he had been a weak Genin. Still, he wondered if his life would have been different if his birth name had been known as Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze. It did have a nice ring to it. What would the villagers think now - the one to be 'responsible' for the Yondaime's death was actually his legacy! The irony wasn't lost on him and he smiled wryly. It would have been nice to know him, being beloved by all of Konoha and all that crap. Sacrificing himself and his future, condemning his child to loneliness… What a shitty decision!  
How come Hokages seemed to always decide things for the greater good? Why not be selfish for once and protecting your own life and destiny? In the end, what everyone seemed to forget, his father as well as Danzo-sama, was that the shinobi were also part of the village they wanted to protect. In fact, he bet that most Shinobi kept the company of fellow shinobi rather than civilians. So why were they placed on a pedestal while ninja were used as tools, until they finally broke? That was just messed up…  
Naruto shook his head. He had to get into the right mindset now, as Danzo was expecting him in his office in a few minutes. 'Channel Kama', he told himself again and again, relaxing and calming down. It felt weird to adapt yet another name, graduating from '27' to a real tool and weapon for Danzo, a kama.

By now he knew the base's layout by heart and his feet carried him to the office automatically. When he was let into the door, he bowed deeply. "Danzo-sama."  
"Kama", the man smiled benignly. "After having completed your mission and looking through your report, I think congratulations are in order. You handled everything very well. You will be pleased to know that the surviving girl has found a place in our midst. She has your old spot as 27 in fact. I hope she will follow in your footsteps." The information felt like a punch into his gut and in this moment he was glad for the weasel mask on his face. Danzo-sama wouldn't know the truth if he could help it.  
The one-eyed man continued. "With your training completed it is time for you to take your first visit to the Hokage, before she comes down her to look for you, wouldn't you agree?"  
Naruto's eyes widened. "I am part of Root now. I report to Danzo-sama", he immediately assured.  
"Yet I know of your secret S class mission assigned by the Hokage. Really, Tsunade-chan was always such a clever child. Unfortunately for her, you are indeed part of Root know. Nevertheless, you will need to report to her, for appearance's sake."  
"Yes, Danzo-sama."  
"Take this scroll, it already contains the report you are to give her. We give her a little information and she won't dig deeper. So long as you play your part perfectly." There was a slight edge to his voice and Naruto swallowed. He knew the scroll would contain a bunch of bs, but he couldn't refuse to deliver it.  
"Not that you could give away any information in any case, but your acting skills will need to be superb. You need to adapt your old Naruto persona for this report, Kama."  
So Danzo-sama really did think he was his mere tool. That was a relief. "Of course, Danzo-sama."  
"Dismissed. I expect a report of your meeting later this evening."  
Naruto bowed and headed out. This was the perfect opportunity to scheme something with Tsunade. And he couldn't believe it was given to him by the old - "ouch" - man himself. Then he frowned. He shouldn't be hasty now. Surely Danzo-sama wouldn't be this relaxed about him meeting with the Hokage if he had any reason to doubt his ensured obedience. He was the most paranoid person Naruto knew of.  
At least Naruto'd get to see Konoha again. At his initiation, he hadn't had the time to stroll through the streets at all. Even though no one was to know he was in the village, with his henge skills he could still go undetected and just enjoy his time as an exception to his normal days.

* * *

For once, Naruto did not enter the Hokage office through the window, but through the usual channels. As Danzo's Anbu he was in no position to just jump the office, that might be seen as an attack on the Hokage herself. So, he had to wait in line, talk to the secretary and show his request for a meeting, before he was let in. That took some time of course because first of all Tsunade didn't want Danzo-sama to think he had the upper hand and thus made his representatives wait. Secondly, all he had given was his alias, since no one was to know his identity besides Tsunade. So, he had to pass some time in the waiting hall. He stared out of the window and admired the sight. Konoha really was breathtaking on this beautiful late summer day. Later, he would have to enjoy the sun a bit more and take in the bustling day to day life.

Finally, it was his turn and he readied himself for the meeting. He wasn't sure how he would react when he saw her: For all that she had abandoned him to Danzo's ploy, she had also given him the opportunity to become a better shinobi, to battle the Kyuubi and to help other children, other shinobi that were suffering.

As he stood before the Hokage, head bowed respectfully and mission scroll clasped to the side, he had his answer. She didn't really spare him a glance, she just sighed. Naruto thought she looked overworked. Funny, how he had never noticed such details before.  
As she took the scroll from his hands, he couldn't help the soft words rolling out of his mouth.  
"Tsunade-baa-chan."  
At once, her head snapped up, taking him in full this time. "Leave us", she told her Anbu guard. That was a huge sign of trust on her part and he repaid it as he took off his Root mask. Immediately, she crossed the desk and hugged him tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay, Naruto!"  
"It's good to see you again."  
"My, how you've grown. And you've masked your chakra expertly, as well!"  
"Yeah well, I trained hard." His smile might have come out a little pained, but Tsunade didn't seem to notice.  
His appearance seemed to break a dam and her words came as a torrent. "When I never heard from you after three months, I talked to Danzo. I demanded he'd show me to you, to notice your progress and check your well being. But he convinced me that you were training your emotional response and a distraction wasn't welcome. However, I did have him send me a report every month after that. It's nothing compared to seeing you again, though!"  
"I'm happy Danzo-sama allowed me to come personally, too."  
She raised an eyebrow at the honorific and he cursed himself for his slip up. Instead, she motioned him over to the couch at the side of the room and sit down next to her. She offered him a glass of sake, which he gladly accepted. "So, tell me about your training."  
He rubbed his neck, he felt a little uncomfortable, after all, he hadn't decided yet, what to tell her. "I learned a lot, really I never would have thought it possible, but I mean I did hold myself in pretty high regards before... Though it was quite hard at times, especially in the beginning, I never lost my goals. I learned everything I could in ninjutsu, taijutsu, I even know some sealing now. Genjutsu is still my nemesis, though."  
Tsunade nodded happily as she heard this. "Quite the list." She hesitated a bit. "How did it go with the Kyuubi? After all, the last time we spoke you were still quite upset..."  
He laughed a bit harshly before he noticed her shocked expression and toned it down. Yes, that topic still hurt. "Understatement of the century. I was absolutely devastated. Well, the Kyuubi and I don't get along all that well. However, I've learned emotional control with a Ya-" suddenly his voice was cut off and he felt like he was choking. Acting fast, he pretended it to be caused by a coughing fit. Tsunade frowned and handed him a glass of water. So the loyalty seal really did work. Too bad. He needed to work out a way later to inform Tsunade that Danzo was stealing clan children… "So, I learned meditation and all that and finally confronted the fox. Can't say it was the most pleasant conversation of my life, but better than no conversation for that matter. In the beginning at Root, I" - another coughing fit happened. Oops, almost slipped. Talking Tsunade really unhinged his usually calculating and more cautious self. He didn't actually know that much about the first female Hokage if he thought about it. That was dangerous, especially if he continued to trust her this easily.  
"Must be a cold." He smiled it off.  
"Do you want me to take a look? I am a medic, after all."  
He smiled, "The best medic-nin in all of Konoha. But nah, thanks though. It's time for me to head back to base. It was good seeing you."  
Again, she hugged him. "I'm proud of you, Naruto. And always know, you can come to me for anything at all."  
He bit his lip. She had given him to Danzo. She had been quiet about his heritage. She cared for him. Should he ask her about him? His curiosity would be the death of him.  
"Actually, I've been wondering…How has Akatsuki been doing? Is there any news? Any members sighted close to Konoha recently?"  
She shook her head. "They seem to want to take care of the other Bijuu first. The Kyuubi will be the last to be targeted."  
"Really, why would they do that? Wouldn't it be easiest to take the strongest Bijuu first?"  
"Well, they don't know you're in Konoha at the moment, but think that Jiraiya has you apprenticed."  
"I've been wondering about this. In the case that Jiraiya is compromised as spy, wouldn't that also compromise my location?"  
She thought about that. "Jiraiya will be fine." She said eventually and with such confidence that he couldn't help but smile.  
"I hope you are right. I don't want to think about another outcome, either. But I think I should warn you, I overheard at Root that Itachi Uchiha was sighted not far from our village borders."  
Suddenly Tsunade tensed and looked caught. The next moment the expression was gone, but Naruto had noticed her slip up. He wasn't that easy to trick anymore.  
"Really? How strange... ", she seemed at a loss for what to say and he decided to leave the topic for another time.  
"It's not like I couldn't handle him now, you know. So, no worries", he winked and laughed. No reason to alarm her too much. But maybe he could something else out of her. "I told you that I've started on sealing, but actually it's a bit more than that. My teacher said I'm really talented and it somehow came really naturally to me." Tsunade nodded happily, of course unsurprised. "Well, I was wondering if there are any scrolls or books on sealing from the Uzumaki clan left somewhere. I doubt I'll find any records at the shinobi library.  
Tsunade seemed even more surprised at this but he stood unmoving. Most likely she calculating, how to satisfy his curiosity best and not to give away any vital information on his heritage. It could be read as a question about his parents he smirked inwardly. 'She has no idea what I know and I'm going to enjoy this little banter.'  
"I will look into the archives", she finally affirmed.  
"It is my birthright, after all.", he put a hand on his hip.  
"Naruto…" So she decided against telling him. Again. Too bad...  
"I'll take my leave then. Excuse me, Hokage-sama", Naruto bowed respectfully and strapped the mask back on. He was a little bit disappointed at her hesitancy to answer him, but not as upset as he let on. That was more of a ploy to get her to give him the good scrolls and he was excited to read some original Uzumaki seals, soon. He was no stranger to manipulations, but now it was time he gained some experience from the other side of the coin. Two could play the game and he no longer was the little Genin that Tsunade remembered.

Before he had to head back to Root, he took his sweet time, wandering about the village and enjoying the sun. He used one of his favorite disguises, a grown-up Naruko with long red hair. She was wearing a blue summer dress, a huge white sunhat obscured her face further. The whisker marks were hidden, too and so no one should be able to identify her. Naruko didn't know when the next mission would let him outside of HQ, so she couldn't help his feet carrying him to the Ichiraku Ramen Restaurant. Really coming loose in her role, she waved at everyone she came across, skipping and dancing all the while. Inside the booth, she sat down in a strategically smart place. She could see the entrance and through the window, while her back was to the wall. When Ayame approached her to take her order, she grinned.  
"Two Miso-Ramen, please." Posing as a girl, it was better to start slow with the orders.  
"Coming right up, Miss!"  
Blissfully lost to the world, he suddenly sobered up at the voices carrying to her ear. Two shinobi he missed dearly were close by. Kakashi and Sakura sat a good few tables away, but with the Kyuubi's senses, the conversation was easy to follow.  
"Congratulations on winning the Chuunin exams, Sakura, you did a great job!"  
"Thanks, Sensei", she smiled content. "It was so much easier than the first time, I could really feel the difference in my skills."  
Naruto snickered silently. 'And to think that I expected to be done with Root by now. To be fair though, Tsunade lied to me, when she briefed me.'  
"You really worked hard, I'm glad you take your apprenticeship so seriously."  
"I can't let them outrun me so easily. What do you think Naruto is doing right now?"  
'Sitting here, listening in on your conversation.' Naruto shook his head. 'To think that you guys are shinobi as well! Talking in the open when anyone can listen in.'  
"You know him, I'm sure he's enjoying his time with Jiraiya and celebrating life."  
'Are you sure you know me, Kakashi-sensei? Maybe I misunderstood the definition of celebrating...' Naruto noticed bemused.  
"GOODNESS, NO! What if he turns into a pervert like Jiraiya? Or you for that matter?"  
'I kind of have a lot of other things on my mind right now, thanks for the vote of confidence though, Sakura…'  
His Sensei laughed good-naturedly. "As long as he's happy… I mean why should he not enjoy opportunities that come along his way?", Kakashi was smirking in a suggestive manner and Naruto was thinking that he didn't ever want to know what was going on in that screwed head of the copy-nin. They said that all Anbu snapped at some point and Kakashi operating in his teenage years must have fucked up his hormones for life or something.  
"I'm sure he is. Traveling, seeing the world… I'm a little bit jealous that he gets to experience all that."  
'Be careful what you wish for, dear Sakura.'  
"You are heading down your own path, but I'm sure our roads will all join back together soon enough."  
"Are there any news about Sasuke?"  
Kakashi sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Nothing new really. He's still alive and that's about all we know."  
"I see…"  
Naruto finished up his last slurp of broth and took out some coins. 'It was nice seeing them again, even though so much has changed, you still haven't forgotten me. Thank you. I just hope that you will still recognize me, the next time we meet.'

* * *

Kakashi all but jumped and ran out the door. 'Kushina!' The red-haired woman had seemed familiar, but Kakashi hadn't paid her much attention. When he had noticed her listening in on his conversation just now, his interest had been spiked.  
They were sitting a bit far to be overheard from the distance, but the way her body reacted to what was said - it was quite hard to miss. And then, before he could react, she was gone. A ghost from the past, a woman he thought he'd never see again. Ramen, striking scarlet hair, moving with the grace of an experienced shinobi - she really did resemble Kushina. When he stormed to the door, the woman had already disappeared in the stream of villagers. He shook his head. To think that the past still haunted him like this… Obito, Minato, Kushina, Rin. Instead of clinging to the past and his sadness he should focus on the future. On the students, he had failed and neglected. Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke needed him. It was his fault that team 7 had failed, because of his incompetence as a teacher all three students had moved on. He really should focus on training and get his skills sharpened again. Since his time in Anbu was long over, his instincts were dulled, his reactions had slowed. That wouldn't do, not when they were up against monsters like Orochimaru. Kakashi would soon be needed in the field, and he knew the perfect person to contact for some training. Tenzou and he hadn't gone drinking in quite some time…

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Orochimaru's base raid: Oh yeah!

**Author's Note:**

> So... tell me what you think?


End file.
